March, 12 2005	Saturday	1 Safar 1426

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PESHAWAR, March 11: A senior military commander has warned of a military operation in North Waziristan agency if tribes there do not abide by their words and take action against foreign militants.

Corps Commander, Peshawar, Lt-Gen Safdar Hussain warned that the presence of foreign terrorists in isolated places, though small in number, needed to be taken seriously for ensuring peace and stability in the tribal area.

He urged tribal elders and religious scholars of the agency to evict them from their area to avoid use of force by the army.

Talking to a 30-member representative jirga of tribal elders and religious scholars from North Waziristan at the Corps Headquarters here on Friday, the corps commander said that various acts of terrorism in the last couple of weeks suggested that some terrorists were still at large in North Waziristan.

He reminded the elders of their pledges made with the government and obligations to cleanse the area of foreigners.

“Although all tribes and sub-tribes of your agency have signed agreements pledging not to provide safe havens to terrorists, credible intelligence reports suggest that a number of terrorists are still present there. You must take tangible action against them otherwise the government will be left with no option but to launch a military action against them,” he said.

The corps commander said that the cornerstone of the government’s policy was to solve the issue of foreign terrorists through peaceful means and doors of negotiations were always open to all.

“Our ultimate objective is the restoration of peace and normalcy in the area. We are open to all kinds of suggestions and continuous talks remain under way at various levels with tribesmen,” he added.

He regretted that some locals were playing in the hands of forces which were out to destabilize Pakistan, either for monetary gains or misplaced religious beliefs.

General Safdar said that it was now an open secret that all terrorists like Tahir Yuldasheve were pursuing a specific political agenda in the name of Jihad on Pakistani soil and asked ulema to create awareness among tribesmen in this regard.

“The ulema have to use the Masajid and Madaris for the promotion of peace and amity and project the real image of Islam with effective use of these powerful forums,” he said.

He said that the army could not win war without the active backing of the nation. Therefore it was imperative for tribesmen to join hands with the security forces for the elimination of the menace of terrorism form the area.

“The larger national interests demand that tribesman should strengthen the hands of security forces and political administration in achieving this noble goal,” he said.

General Safdar said that the government had sufficient funds to undertake massive development works in Waziristan but the law and order situation in the area was a major hurdle in the execution of uplift projects.

The ulema and tribal elders assured the corps commander that “like in the past” they will play their due role for the implementation of government policies in letter and in spirit and extend full support in this regard.

General Officer Commanding Major General Muhammad Akram Sahi and Political Agent North Waziristan Agency Fakhre Alam were also present in the meeting.