Kuz Kunar, Nangarhar PRT discuss dispute resolution

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

02.24.2011

Courtesy Story

Combined Joint Task Force 101

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Members of Kuz Kunar’s district government met with Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team leadership to discuss their unique, effective method of dispute resolution at their district center Feb. 24.

Noor Sitar, Kuz Kunar’s Afghan Social Outreach Program chairman, noted the ASOP shura, a district-wide elected committee, served as a conflict resolution body for 44 cases in the past eight months.

“Our shura involves a lot of judiciary activities,” Sitar said. “We’re an informal judicial system that provides for the people. If there’s a case, we try and solve them through a judicial jirga before it goes to court and a prosecutor.”

Jirgas, a Pashto concept similar to shuras, are a traditional Afghan means of conflict resolution, said Shane Kelbley, Nangarhar PRT senior rule of law advisor from Philadelphia. They involve both sides of an argument coming together and discussing their issues before a select committee of elders. While Kuz Kunar has a functioning justice system, it is common for disputes to be resolved by jirgas rather than official courts.

Some of the cases heard by the district’s ASOP shura have involved serious issues and could have created bloodshed if not addressed by the jirga, said Sitar.

One notable case was over a land dispute, a pivotal issue for Afghanistan’s largely agriculture-based society, he continued. Two families in a Kuz Kunar village had a feud over where their property line was drawn. One of the families left the village and went to a nearby mountainside to arm themselves in preparation to attack their rivals.

“We found out about it and the district governor found out about it,” Sitar said. “We thought if we were to hand the case over to the formal judicial system, it would take too long to resolve. We thought a jirga would be the quickest, easiest way to resolve the issue. The jirga got involved and was able to convince the people to come down off the mountain and talk. We created a safe environment and talked and talked and talked, and now both families live in peace. Now, everybody’s happy and there are no hard feelings.”

The PRT has recently taken an interest in helping Kuz Kunar’s development along, said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Anderson, Nangarhar PRT commander from Dallas.

“When we go to some of the other districts in Nangarhar, we spend all of our time trying to help them resolve their disputes,” Anderson said. “With Kuz Kunar, they’ve already got the processes in place necessary to mediate disagreements. Because of this, we’re able to focus on strategic planning and budgeting with them. With their advanced state of governance, they’ll start getting schools and clinics and other services out to their constituents, consolidating the stability they’ve already achieved and constantly improving conditions in their district.”

• Date Taken: 02.24.2011
• Date Posted: 02.27.2011 13:53
• Story ID: 66164
• Location: NANGARHAR PROVINCE, AF