Ten more days given to Wazir tribesmen: Govt seeks tangible results
Bureau Report
PESHAWAR, April 21: NWFP Governor Lt-Gen (retired) Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah extended on Wednesday a deadline given to tribesmen in South Waziristan by another 10 days
, but said a tribal lashkar operating inthe region to flush out local and foreign militants would have to show tangible results.
An official announcement at the end of an hour-long meeting between the governor and a 52-member inter-tribal jirga at the Governor's House said the extension in deadline that expired on Tuesday was made on the specific recommendation of the inter-tribal jirga.
The governor had last extended the deadline on April 10, giving 10 days to tribesmen from the South and North Waziristan tribal regions to come out with a plan on how to deal with the issue of local and foreign militants.
The Wednesday announcement said the governor had conditionally extended the deadline for the lashkar (a voluntary tribal force) to "show concrete and tangible results". "The issue cannot be allowed to linger on indefinitely," it quoted Governor Iftikhar as telling the jirga.
Corps Commander Peshawar Lt-Gen Safdar Hussain, Inspector-General of Frontier Corps Maj-Gen Hamid Khan and Secretary (Security) Fata Brig Mehmood Shah were present on the occasion.
The jirga also demanded the release of innocent people rounded up during Kaloosha-II operation in the volatile South Waziristan tribal region last month. The announcement quoted the governor as assuring the tribal jirga that those found innocent after investigation would be released accordingly.
The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) - a mouthpiece of the Pakistan Army - had claimed troops had arrested 163 people during the operation against foreign militants and their tribal supporters. Amongst those apprehended were mostly foreigners.
But officials now acknowledge that out of those picked up, 113 were Afghans and only about 28 of them were declared 'grey' - a term used for a bailable offence. The remaining 50, they say, are local tribesmen, whose interrogation is yet to begin.
In a related development, authorities in South Waziristan have allowed reopening of hundreds of shops and other business concerns of the Yargulkhel and Karmuzkhel tribes that had remained closed for over two months for failing to cooperate with the government.
Analysts believe the government and the erring tribes are moving towards some sort of an agreement that would leave both the sides in a win-win situation.
There are credible reports that the five most wanted militants, mainly Nek Mohammad and Sharif, were in contact with the military through intermediaries offering to settle down as peaceful citizens under guarantees to be furnished by their Yargulkhel tribe.
Under the proposed deal, knowledgeable sources said, the militants would surrender to the tribal jirga but on the condition that they would not be turned over to the authorities.
But insistence by certain official circles that the militants must surrender to the government before they could be pardoned for their involvement in anti-state activities is said to be the main hurdle.
In the tribal jirga meeting, tribal elders told the governor that they had been able to unite the otherwise divided tribes on the issue of foreign militants in the area. They said that the foreign militants would either surrender or leave the area.
Dilawar Khan Wazir from Wana adds: The decision by the authorities to allow the reopening of shops has brought life back to normalcy. The Yatgulkhel and Karmuzkhel tribes who own the three shopping markets and had vacated the shops following warning that the authorities would demolish these to punish them for not cooperating in the hunt for local and foreign militants have also heaved a sigh of relief.
But tribesmen say they are still reluctant to go back, as they fear the authorities may yet again slap punitive action if something untoward happens. Officials told Dawn the decision to allow reopening of shops was taken after the authorities observed appreciable cooperation from the hitherto reluctant tribes.
Commander of the Zalikhel lashkar, Allahgai Wazir, has summoned his men to meet again on the ground to the west of Wana Bazaar on Friday after a three-day respite and launch fresh raids on the possible hideout of the militants in Azam Warsak area.
The deputy administrator, Wana, Rehmatullah Wazir, said the lashkar had assured the authorities it would go the whole hog to flush out local and foreign militants.
