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MANSEHRA, Oct 28: The government on Sunday dispatched contingents of law enforcement agencies to wind up the four-day blockade of Karakoram Highway at different places in Besham and Kohistan.
The law enforcers aided by armoured personnel carriers (APCs) would dislodge protesters from hilltops to restore vehicular traffic on the road linking Pakistan with China. The protesters demand the withdrawal of support by the Pakistan government to US-led airstrikes against Afghanistan.
TNSM Amir Maulana Sufi Mohammad, who was called by the high- ranking officials to persuade the protesters to end the road blockade, told the administration of Malakand division and Shangla district that the TNSM had nothing to do with the blockade of Karakoram Highway.
Official sources told Dawn that the government had registered cases against those leaders who have incited the people to block the road. These leaders would be arrested when orders were issued to the effect, they added.
Sources said that thousands of people armed with sophisticated weapons have taken positions on hilltops in different areas along the international route.
They said that even if the road blockade was ended, it would take three to four days to remove the rocks and boulders from the road.
VOLUNTEERS: A large number of armed volunteers joined on Sunday thousands of their jihadi companions camping here for the second consecutive day, waiting for a final node from Taliban leadership to cross over to Afghanistan adds Anwarullah Khan from Bajaur.
While chief of Tehrik Nifaz-i-Shariah Muhammadi (TNSM), Maulana Sufi Mohammad was taken by some government officials during wee hours on Sunday to Besham to end the road blockade there, other volunteers have been pouring in here at Lagharai, some 5 kilometres from Pakistan-Afghan border, the camping spot of the volunteers.
A ten member delegation of these volunteers, led by Dr Ismael, a leader of TNSM, left for Kunar province, Afghanistan on Sunday morning so as to discuss the entry of thousands of volunteers into Afghanistan for joining hands with the Taliban against the allied forces.
It is learnt that the delegation has to meet Maulvi Abdul Rauf, the Wali of Kunar and after getting his permission it would return back to Lagharai.
Some representatives of the volunteers told this correspondent that the delegation might return on Sunday night or Monday morning following which the exact situation could be ascertained.
“After getting any message from the Taliban leaders these volunteers will either start their journey towards Afghanistan or will return back to their respective towns,” said one of the representative.
The volunteers, who arrived here in a convoy of about 300 vehicles including buses, truck, tractor trolleys and cars, are armed with different sorts of sophisticated weapons including rocket launchers, rocket propelled grenades, local made Doshakas, Kalashnikovs, M-16 and G-3 guns. A large number of such volunteers who could not afford modern sophisticated weaponry are armed with traditional guns, hatchets, axes and even clubs and sticks.
Since Sunday morning other volunteers started reaching Lagharai from different towns of Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA), especially Upper and Lower Dir, Mingora, Malakand, Shangla and Buner. It is learnt that Jihadi volunteers have also arrived here from Karachi and different parts of Punjab.
