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| 20 April 2004 | Tuesday | 29 Safar 1425 |
Five sub-tribes agree to back campaign: Govt extends deadline
PESHAWAR, April 19: Armed tribal volunteers continued their search for wanted militants in the South Waziristan tribal region on Monday as the government extended the deadline which was due to expire on Tuesday.
With assault rifles slinging over their shoulders, dancing in circles to drum beat, over two 2,000 tribesmen were warming up themselves in the dusty plains of Azam Warsak for about three hours before launching raids on a possible hideout of a local militant. This warm-up exercise is part of their tradition.
Later, the Lashkar set on fire the house of Ilyas Khan and Noor Hassan in Baghgai village, about 4km from Azam Warsak, before dynamiting the mud-forte-like house. The inmates were not in the house when it was blown up.
Ilyas and Noor Hassan were on the 120-men list of the wanted men for supporting and facilitating foreign militants. "Our men will continue to look for the wanted men till we achieve our objective," commander of the tribal Lashkar, Allahgai Wazir, told Dawn.
On Monday, five sub-tribes from amongst the Ahmadzai Wazirs entered into an agreement with the authorities that would allow forces and government functionaries greater access to the suspected areas and verify the presence of foreign militants and their local supporters.
Elders from Shudiakay, Spirkay, Khuniakhel, Miamay and Malakshay tribes which inhibit Shakai area, signed the pact with the authorities pledging to provide security to government troops and levy fine on those found giving shelter to militants.
"Things are moving in the right direction," Wana deputy administrator Rehmatullah Wazir told Dawn. He said they were also working on the remaining Ahmadzai Wazirs, Eidaks and Dawars, to persuade them into signing an agreement with the authorities on the similar lines.
To prove their sincerity to the government, tribesmen took positions on the mountains surrounding the regional headquarters to ward against a possible attack by militants. The authorities have provided them with tents and other logistic support.
In what appears to be a reciprocating gesture, NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah said the government was extending the Tuesday deadline given to tribesmen to come up with a workable plan to flush out local and foreign militants. "If the lashkar can deliver, we have no problem with extending the deadline.
Let's give them time. Let's see which direction they go. We don't mean to cause bloodshed and want to resolve the issue through peaceful negotiations. I see no harm in extending the deadline for a few days," he said at an informal briefing held for journalists in Peshawar.
But he warned that the government would continue to monitor the performance of the lashkar. "I hope this is not an exercise in buying time. The extension is not open-ended. It cannot be open-ended. You cannot keep on changing deadlines," he said. Asked that Zalikhel tribesmen had also launched a similar lashkar in the past and what made the government so optimistic this time, the governor said: "It is their resolve. They are more clear in their aims and objectives now."
He acknowledged that the performance of the Zalikhel lashkar was not 'satisfactory'. The over 60 people captured and turned over to the government from amongst the 120 wanted men were in his words 'insignificant' and of 'no consequence.' "There were no heavy weights among those captured."
Meanwhile, hundreds of tribesmen staged a rally in Wana to protest army operation in the region. They also demanded release of two 13 years-old students arrested by the army during the operation last month.
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