12 February 2005	Saturday	02 Muharram 1426

PESHAWAR, Feb 11: A senior military commander on Friday ruled out amnesty for Abdullah Mehsud, the most-wanted tribal militant in the South Waziristan region, and said the combatant leader would have to surrender and face the law.

"He has committed the heinous crime of killing a Chinese engineer and should surrender unconditionally before the law," Corps Commander of Peshawar, Lt-Gen Safdar Hussain, told a jirga of tribal elders and religious leaders led by Maulana Ainullah here.

Maulana Ainullah earlier headed a team of tribal negotiators to broker a peace accord with Baitullah Mehsud, the commander of a mujahideen army in South Waziristan.

"No amnesty will be offered to Abdullah Mehsud and he will be dealt with according to the law of the land," Gen Hussain said. The militant in an interview with a foreign channel this week distanced himself from the peace agreement between Baitullah Mehsud and the government and vowed to continue 'jihad' against the US and its associates.

The corps commander asked the jirga participants to remain vigilant and keep an eye on the activities of militants of the area. "It is primarily your responsibility to keep your area free of terrorism. "You are required to fulfil your responsibility, flush out foreign terrorists and deny sanctuaries to them," he said.

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