LOYA JIRGA


A ''loya jirga'' that was held in Kabul, Afghanistan

'Loya jirga', occasionally 'loya jirgah', is a large meeting held in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and even in Mongolia. In Afghanistan originally attended by Pashtun groups but later including other ethnic groups without really considering them.
The words ''loya'' (great/grand) and ''jirga'' ("council", "assembly", "dispute" or "meeting") are of Turco-Mongolian origin and originally it means in the Mongolian and Turkic language "great tent" (''Ger'', meaning tent).
Such meetings originally originate from the Altaïc cultures, so also from the Mongolian Empire. The Mongolian masters proclaimed “Timujin” (Ghengis Khan) in a Loya Jirga in the year 1206 to their new headmaster.
Under the Timurids and the Moghuls, although they had Turkish and Mongolian roots, the Loja Dschirga was advised in oblivion. On the one hand because they were very strongly persianized and on the other hand, because they had wezirs and diplomats, who were concerned with problems, that concerned the life of the society, completely to the satisfaction of the ruler.
In the afghanic (pashtunic) society the Loya Jirga is still maintained andvery strongly practiced, mostly in front of tribal chiefs or with them to solve internal and external tribalic problems or disputes with other tribes. The cause Loya Jirga is existing toward Pashtuns is not all Pashtun tribes are of Iranian/indo-aryan origine. For example the pashtun tribe of the Zadrans were originally a Mongolian tribe that became islamized and with it pashtunized. Today they are pashtunized descends of the Mongolian tribe Zadran that became lost in central Asia. Some other non-iranic tribes are the Ghalzais and the Zazais who are descends of the Turco-Mongolian Khaljis and the Jajis. The Zadrans and the Zazais are still known by non-pashtuns as Jajis and Jadran, in Afghanistan.
When the Afghans took the power they tried to legitimize their power with such a Jirga. While on the beginning just Afghans were using the Jirga later other ethnics like Tajiks and Hazaras were driven in by Afghans too but without considering them really in the Jirgas. The member of the Jirgas were mostly members of the Royal Family, religious leaders and tribalic chiefs of Afghans. King Amanullah Khan institutionalized the Jirga. He was also the sole who used it for three times. From Amanullah till the reign of Zaher Shah Khan (1933-1973) and Daud Khan (1973-1978) the Jirga was understood of a common meeting of regionally pashtunic master leaders.
The meetings take place in irregular distances.
There is no time limit in a Loya Jirga and the meeting take so long since decisions are made by agreements. Many different problems are advised, like foreign policy, declaration of war, legitimacy of leaders or the introduction of new ideas and laws.

Contents
Afghanistan
Baloch
See also
References
External links

Afghanistan


Loya jirgas in the history of Greater Khorasan/Khorasan (until 1857/589) include:

1747 -- near Kandahar, attended by Pashtun representatives who appointed Ahmad Shah Durrani as the new leader.

1793 -- calling up of Timur Shah Durrani, the son of Ahmad Shah Abdali, who wanted to transfere the capital of Khorasan from Kandahar to Kabul
Loya jirgas in the

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