September 16, 2003	Tuesday	Rajab 18, 1424

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

PESHAWAR, Sept 15: About 2,000 armed tribesmen staged a rally on Monday, blocking the Bannu-Miranshah road for a few hours.

They were protesting against the proposal to impose ban on display of arms in tehsil Mirali, North Waziristan Agency, some 200 kilometres away from here.

The main shopping area in the tehsil wore a deserted look because of the staging of the rally.

Protesters, led by former MNA Maulana Mohammad Dindar and Maulana Saleem Gul, were armed with automatic weapons, including Kalashnikov assault rifles, and shouted slogans against the ban.

Speakers on the occasion flayed the NWFP governor’s decision regarding ban on arms display in the entire tribal region and asked the people not to obey the government order.

Invoking tribal traditions and customs, tribesmen pledged that they would not compromise in this regard, adding that the government should also ban drug trafficking besides take effective measures to improve the law and order situation in the area.

The NWFP governor had recently announced a ban on arms in semi-urban areas of seven tribal agencies, directing law enforcement agencies to implement the decision.

In a related development, NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah said that tribesmen could keep light weapons at homes for personal security, but they would not be allowed to display arms in public places.

The governor was talking to tribal leaders, who called on him during his visit to the Razmak sub-division.

He contended that 98 per cent of the people and tribal leaders of Fata had not only backed the ban but had also extended a helping hand in its implementation.

Political Agent of the North Waziristan Agency Sherzada Khan, IGFC Maj Gen Hamid Khan and other officials of the political administration were also present on the occasion.

The decision, the governor said, had been made with the sole objective of raising the socio-economic condition of the people of the tribal areas.

Referring to the proliferation of non-custom paid vehicles, he said that the present government was resolved not to give any concession in this regard.