04 April 2004	Sunday	13 Safar 1425

PESHAWAR, April 3: The predominant Ahmadzai Wazir tribe has given a one-month deadline to foreign militants either to surrender or leave the South Waziristan tribal region.

The head of the 52-member inter-tribal jirga, Malik Waris Khan Afridi, said that an agreement had been reached with the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe that the five most wanted tribal protectors of Al Qaeda elements would be handed over to the members of the reconciliatory jirga by April 10.

Flanked by other members of the jirga during a Press briefing at the lawn of NWFP Governor's Fata Secretariat here on Saturday, he said that the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe would take action against the foreign militants in accordance with tribal code of conduct and traditions if they failed to lay down arms.

He said: "The foreign militants have two options - either to leave our soil within one month or surrender to the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe peacefully."

Mr Afridi renewed the government's pledge that the foreign militants would not be handed over to any foreign country if they laid down their arms. The Ahmadzai Wazir tribe would have to give an undertaking to the government on behalf of the foreigners that they would remain peaceful, he added.

"The foreigners will have to obey the law of the land, follow traditions of the tribal area and will not involve themselves in misconduct or use the soil against any other country," he said.

Although officials denied they had convened the jirga, all bigwigs of the secretariat were present on the sidelines of the jirga.

Following a week-long gunbattle between foreign militants and the security forces, the government sent the 52-member jirga to Wana to secure the release of 12 paramilitary troops.

According to the agreement, Mr Afridi said, the Ahmadzai Wazir tribesmen would hand over the five most wanted men to the 52-member jirga by April 10. The wanted tribesmen included Maulvi Abdul Aziz, Maulvi Abbas, Nek Mohammad, Mohammad Sharif and Noor Islam.

Mr Afridi said that the five wanted men would be treated in accordance with tribal traditions, if they refused to hand themselves over. According to the tribal customs and traditions, a defiant tribesman would be expelled from the territory, he maintained.

Asked whether the army would launch new offensive against the violators, he said: "There will be no need of a fresh military operation and a tribal lashkar will take over the task."

He informed the newsmen that Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah had assured them that the scope of military action would not be extended to neighbouring North Waziristan tribal region and if necessary the tribal lashkar would be engaged to flush out foreign militants and local outlaws.

He said the jirga had asked the governor to compensate innocent tribesmen who had lost their relatives and property during the military operation.

The 52-member jirga, through a unanimous resolution, vowed that the militants would not be allowed to use the tribal territory for militancy or political motives. The resolution said that the jirga members would request the government to eliminate terrorists from the region along the Afghan border.

The jirga also criticized the Jamaat-i-Islami for holding a grand tribal jirga in Peshawar, saying it would create disturbance in the tribal region.