18 January 2004	Sunday	25 Ziqa'ad 1424

PESHAWAR, Jan 17: A tribal Jirga in the South Waziristan tribal region will meet on Sunday the two most wanted tribesmen suspected to be having ties with Al Qaeda terrorists, in a last- ditch effort to persuade them to surrender before authorities.

A tribal elder reached by phone in Wana told Dawn that the Jirga of Zalikhel tribal elders would meet Sharif Khan and Naik Mohammad, two of the 41 most wanted tribesmen, to hand themselves over to the authorities and clear their position.

The meeting is expected to take place in Azam Warsak near the border with Afghanistan, the elder said.

Sharif Khan and Naik Mohammad are suspected to be harbouring and helping Al Qaeda terrorists, a charge they have denied.

Naik Mohammad recently claimed that the charges against them were based on hearsay and that they did not have much faith in the government's commitment that they would not be handed over to the Americans.

Administrator of South Waziristan Mohammad Azam Khan, however, reiterated the government's pledge not to hand over the tribal suspects to any other country.

"We have given our word to them. They would not be handed over to any other country and would be dealt with under the local laws. Let them clear their positions. We will free all those who are found innocent," he said.

Authorities in the tribal region said that the Tribal Lashkar continued its hunt for tribesmen suspected of sheltering and helping Al-Qaeda remnants.

The Lashkar has so far rounded up 20 of the 41 tribesmen wanted by the authorities.

Security officials in Peshawar said Al Qaeda suspects believed to be hiding in the region could number between 120 to 200.

One official said that Sharif Khan was harbouring the largest number of such people who were believed to have escaped from Kalusha at least a day before the army launched the operation on Jan 9.

Azam Khan said the government was monitoring the activities of the Tribal Lashkar and was satisfied with the progress made so far.

"We are monitoring and making adjustments and fine-tuning over the strategy. We are exercising the maximum restraint. But we will tighten the screws and squeeze them more if we feel there is some laxity on part of the Tribal Lashkar."

He said that of the 20 tribesmen surrendered to the government so far, five are believed to be amongst the most wanted men.