ISLAMABAD, July 12: Inter Services Public Relations Director-General Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan has said that some miscreants in South Waziristan Agency do not want peace in the area.

A few miscreants who thought that peace may affect their personal interest. They were sabotaging peace efforts in area, the ISPR chief told BBC Radio. He said those people opened unprovoked and unjust fire on security forces on Sunday morning.

The security forces retaliated by using appropriate weapons. The exchange of fire lasted for some time and later stopped. There was no report of casualty. Replying to a question, he said that neither a new operation was being launched nor the old operation was being stopped.

"I want to make it clear that both the political process and the operation of security forces will continue," he added. He said foreign militants were persuaded to present themselves before the government and get themselves registered, adding their local facilitator should also stop supporting them and surrender.

Asked what was the number of the people wanted by government and how many were at large, he said that it was difficult to tell their exact number, but there were some locals who were facilitating the foreigners.

There were some foreigners who change their hideouts from time to time. Their number fluctuated, he said. To another question, he said that stick and carrot both were used in political process.

Elaborating he said that stick was for those who would not abide by the government laws and would have to face punitive measures which also included economic sanctions. -APP