Foreign suspects to be forced out if jirga fails: governor
Bureau Report
PESHAWAR, April 18: Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has said that the government has made up its mind to effectively deal with foreign elements in the tribal areas, and if the jirga fails to persuade these elements to surrender
, the government will use all other available means to flush them out of its territory.
He also reaffirmed the government's determination not to allow shelter to foreign terrorists, while addressing two separate tribal jirgas in Lower Kurram and Upper Kurram at Mandaki and Lalamay during his one-day visit to the agency, on Saturday.
MNA Dr Syed Javed Hussain, secretary to governor Sahibzada Saeed Ahmad and Political Agent Dr Tashfeen Khan were also present on this occasion. The governor said that the administration was trying to resolve the issue of foreign elements in the South Waziristan Agency in accordance with the tribal customs and traditions. He added that a 50-member tribal jirga was presently engaged in negotiations with the respective tribes.
He added that till the latest information received, the terrorists had declared they would not surrender, and had also conveyed their viewpoint to the tribal elders. He said that now the respective tribe had decided to raise its own lashkar and take action against them in accordance with tribal customs.
He also highlighted the developments which took place during the past three to four months and said, "we had offered them at the very outset to lay down their arms and give an assurance of good conduct, they would be allowed to stay along with their families".
Mr Shah said that the government had taken a bold step by offering these foreign militants amnesty and conditional stay here in case they laid down their weapons as they had been expelled and disowned by their own countries. But the foreign fighters failed to take advantage of the offer, and instead attacked the law enforcers, he said.
Actually, he added, these elements had left their countries because of political differences with their own governments and took refuge in Afghanistan. When, he said, the Taliban government was dislodged, they shifted to the tribal areas to make it a launching pad for their terrorist activities. He told the jirga that if these elements want to wage war against any country, they should not use Pakistani soil for such activity.
Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah said that the presence of these elements in the tribal areas was damaging friendly relations with Afghanistan, which the country could not afford at this critical juncture. "We would never sacrifice our interests for the cause of others", he vowed.
The governor also warned the tribals that as a result of tightening the noose around foreign miscreants, they might cross over to other surrounding agencies and urged them to be vigilant in this regard.
He also pointed out that if the tribesmen remained united, the elements would never succeed in fulfilling their nefarious designs. Later, the governor inaugurated the construction of Maidani small dam in Kurram Agency as part of the government's plan to construct 12 small dams in different tribal agencies. This dam, costing Rs 134.27 million would irrigate 1,100 acres in the lower Kurram area and boost agriculture.
