January 19, 2003	Sunday	Ziqa'ad 15, 1423

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BARA (Khyber Agency), Jan 18: Cleanup operation against anti- social elements in the Bara Tehsil of Khyber Agency was again postponed by the authorities on Saturday after an appeal by local elders for an extension in the deadline set by the government to hand over or arrest the wanted men.

The Khyber Agency political administration had earlier asked the elders of Bara to hand them over or expel 32 wanted criminals until Saturday or a cleanup operation would be launched against proclaimed offenders.

The administration on Friday erected barricades on all roads leading to Bara and also ordered the closure of local markets. Life had almost came to a standstill on Saturday morning when Jawans of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) and Khasadar force advanced towards Shalober areas where a house of one of the main accused Sial Akbar, alias Sialay, was situated.

Sialay is wanted to the political administration and Peshawar police in the kidnapping case of a minor, Ismail Yousuf, who was abducted from the main Peshawar-Hayatabad by-pass some 10 days back. Ismail Yousuf’s father is an official of the communication and works department.

Dawn has learnt on good authority that Sialay and his accomplice had long fled to Tirah. The administration on Saturday laid siege to the house of Sialay but the siege was lifted in the evening after an appeal by the local elders.

Sialay and Mujahid, another notorious criminal had a narrow escape in August 2002 when they managed to escape from Bara Qadeen only hours before an operation was initiated against criminals in that area.

The Bara administration after its failure to find a clue to Ismail’s  kidnapping called a number of Jirgas of Bara elders. The administration pressured the local elders to help recover Ismail and also hand them over 32 proclaimed offenders.

It was believed among the official circles that Sialay and Mujahid group were behind the kidnapping of Ismail Yousuf.

Reliable sources in Bara told Dawn that the local administration had arrested Sialay’s father a few months back but was later released by the Assistant Political Agent (APA) Syed Jamal ud Din after striking a deal for the recovery of one Inayat Roghani.

The source alleged that the Bara APA also had a meeting with Sialay at an undisclosed location and worked out with him the release of his father in lieu of the recovery of Roghani. The concerned APA has been made an OSD.

Meanwhile, a grand jirga of all eight tribes of Bara was held at Nala Khwarh to discuss the situation that has resulted from the blockade of Bara. The Jirga appealed the government to immediately lift the siege of Bara as the local administration had failed to recover a single criminal and only innocent people were suffering. All educational institutions and business centres were closed for the second consecutive day.

The Jirga elders vowed to cleanse their area of all anti-social elements and warned that any tribe found of sheltering criminals would be fined rupees one million.