|
|
This article's factual accuracy is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. (March 2009) |
A loya jirga (Pashto: لويه جرګه) is a "grand assembly," a Pashto phrase meaning "grand council." A loya jirga is a political meeting usually used to choose new kings, adopt constitutions, or decide important political matters and disputes in Pashtuns areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.[1] In Afghanistan, the loya jirga was originally attended only by Pashtun groups, but later included other ethnic groups. It is a forum unique among Pashtuns of Afghanistan and Pakistan in which, traditionally, tribal elders meet together[2] (although the Pashto Wazir tribe on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has a similar tribal governance structure.)
The words loya (great/grand) and jirga ("council", "assembly", "dispute" or "meeting") are of Pashto Origin[3]. The word Jirga is the one of primary concept of Afghan law, Afghanwali or famously known as Pashtunwali[4]. Pukhtoonwali is the code of ethics of the Pukhtoons, the Jirga their Parliament or National Assembly and intrepidity and frankness an essential trait of their character.[5]
The Afghan LOYA JIRGA as Platform of Pashtoonwali. Observing the salient features of Afghan society, the traditional Afghan “Jirga” and “Loya Jirga” come first in the traditional political solution and has been alive since the ancient Aryan period, The Pashtoons Social Democratic Party.
[6]
History
The Aryan tribes, which came down in intermittent waves from Central Asia to present Afghanistan and then moved to India (5000 – 1500 BC), tribes practiced a sort of jirgah-system with two types of councils – simite and sabha. The simite (the summit) comprised elders and tribal chiefs. The king also joined sessions of the simite. Sabha was a sort of rural council.[7] It was used over time for the selection of rulers and headmen and the airing of matters of principle. Islamic tradition has a not-dissimilar system. From the time of the great Kushan ruler Kanishka to the 1970s there were sixteen national loya jirgas and hundreds of smaller ones[8].The institution, which is centuries old, is a similar idea to the Islamic "shura", or consultative assembly.[2]
The phrase loya jirga is Pashto and means "grand council". The institution, which is centuries old, is a similar idea to the Islamic "shura", or consultative assembly, BBC world.
In the Afghan (Pashtun) society the Loya Jirga is still maintained and very strongly practiced, mostly in front of tribal chiefs or with them to solve internal and external tribal problems or disputes with other tribes.
When the Afghans took the power they tried to legitimize their power with such a Jirga. While in the beginning only Pashtuns were allowed to participate in the Jirgas, later other ethnic groups like Tajiks and Hazaras were allowed to participate as well, however they were little more than observers. The member of the Jirgas were mostly members of the Royal Family, religious leaders and tribal chiefs of the Afghans. King Amanullah Khan institutionalized the Jirga. From Amanullah until the reign of Mohammed Zahir Shah (1933-1973) and Mohammed Daoud Khan (1973-1978) the Jirga was recognized as a common meeting of regional Pashtun leaders.
The meetings do not have scheduled occurrences, but rather are called for when issues or disputes arise.
There is no time limit for a Loya Jirga to conclude, and the meetings often take a long time because decisions can only be made as a group and arguments can drag out for days. Many different problems are addressed, like foreign policy, declarations of war, the legitimacy of leaders, and the introduction of new ideas and laws.
Afghanistan
Loya jirgas in the history of Afghanistan include:
- 1707-1709 — Loya jirga was gathered in Shahri Safa, according to Said Kasim, Rishtia in 1707, but according to Mir Ghulam M. Ghobar, this loya jirga was gathered in Manja in 1709.[9]
- 1747 — A jirga at Kandahar was attended by Pashtun representatives who appointed Ahmad Shah Durrani as their new leader.
- 1793 — A jirga called by Timur Shah Durrani, the son of Ahmad Shah Durrani, who wanted to transfer the capital of the Durrani Empire from Kandahar to Kabul.
- 1880 — A jirga called by Abdur Rahman Khan.
- September 1928 — A jirga at Paghman, called by King Amanullah, the third loya jirga of his reign (1919-1929) to discuss reforms.
- September 1930 — A jirga a meeting of 286 called by Mohammed Nadir Shah to confirm his accession to the throne.
- 1941 — Called by Mohammed Zahir Shah to approve neutrality in World War II.
- 1947 — Held by Pashtuns in the Tribal Agencies to choose between joining India or Pakistan.
- 1949 — Called during a dispute with Pakistan, declared that it did not recognize the Durand Line, forming the border between the two countries.
- September 1964 — A meeting of 452 called by Mohammed Zahir Shah to approve a new constitution.
- July 1974 — A meeting with Pakistan over the Duran Line.
- January 1977 — Approved the new constitution of Mohammed Daoud Khan establishing one-party rule in the Republic of Afghanistan.
- April 1985 — To ratify the new constitution of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
- September 2001 — Four different loya jirga movements anticipating the end of Taliban rule. Little communication took place between each of them.
- The first was based in Rome around Mohammed Zahir Shah, and it reflected the interests of moderate Pashtuns from Afghanistan. The Rome initiative called for fair elections, support for Islam as the foundation of the Afghan state, and respect for human rights.
- The second was based in Cyprus and led by Homayoun Jarir, a member of the Islamic Party of his father-in-law, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Critics of the Cyprus initiative suspected that it served the interests of Iran. The members of the Cyprus initiative, however, considered themselves closer to the Afghan people and regard the Rome group as too close to the long-isolated nobility.
- The most significant was based in Germany, which resulted in the Bonn Agreement (Afghanistan). This agreement was made under United Nations auspices, established the Afghan Interim Authority and paved the way for the later jirgas that established the Constitution of Afghanistan.
- A lesser initiative based in Pakistan.
- 2002 — Organized by the interim administration of Hamid Karzai, with about 2000 delegates, either selected through elections in various regions of the country or allocated to various political, cultural, and religious groups. It was held in a large tent in the grounds of Kabul Polytechnic from June 11 and was scheduled to last about a week. It formed a new Transitional Administration which took office shortly thereafter.
- 2003, December — To consider the Proposed Afghan Constitution. See 2003 Loya jirga.
- 2006 — Afghan president Hamid Karzai said that he and the Pakistani president will jointly lead a loya jirga to end a dispute over border attacks.[10]
Pakistan
On April 29, 2006, former Balochistan Chief Minister Taj Muhammad Jamali offered to arranged a meeting between President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf and a loya jirga (grand jirga) for peace in Balochistan.[11] A Grand jirga was held at Kalat in September 2006 to announce that a case would be filed in the International Court of Justice regarding the sovereignty and rights of the Baloch people.[12][13][14][15]
See also
References
External links
|
Pashtun nationalism |
|
| Key figures |
|
|
| Culture |
|
|
| Poets |
|
|
Contemporary
controversies |
|
|
Battles and
conflicts |
|
|
