18 September 2004	Saturday	02 Shaban 1425

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KARACHI, Sept 17: The Muttahida Qabail Ittehad Pakistan has appealed to President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz for immediately halting the ongoing army operation in South Waziristan , and for changing the political agent, Asmatullah Gandapur, and governor NWFP, accusing them of providing dis-information to people regarding the prevailing situation in the tribal areas.

Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Friday, the MQI leaders Shahid Ali advocate, Mukhtiar Khan Mehsud, Afsar Khan Mehsud, Maulana Muhammadzada and Ismail Khan Mehsud presented a bleak picture of the situation in the tribal areas with particular reference to Karawan Manza, where according to their claim, bodies of human beings were scattered every where due to indiscriminate use of shells, mortars and laser guided missiles against the local population, forcing hundreds of families to migrate to other areas.

Accusing the rulers of targeting those very tribal people who had protected Pakistan's border for 55 years and whose forefathers had laid down their lives for the cause of liberation of Kashmir, they said all action against their own people was only to appease the US.

"We don't want to fight with our own army, as we are Pakistani patriots and would remain so in future as well come what may. We have left the issue of our martyrs to Allah.

The purpose of this press conference is only to raise our voice through the media that being loyal Pakistanis, we still seek a solution to the problem through mutual understanding and negotiations.

"We want that the army be called back and the Militia Force be shifted to their camps set up during the British rule, and a committee comprising local ulema, MNAs, tribal elders and members from the treasury and opposition benches be formed which should visit the site of action and meet local population to find out facts and assess their losses and find out a solution to the problem.

They said that there was anger and resentment among the tribal people from FATA living in Sindh, but in the larger interest of the country, were restraining themselves from expressing their feelings on the streets.

"However, if the government fails to take recourse to peaceful means by not stopping the operation immediately, the MQI elders will be free to decide their line of action."