MIRAMSHAH, May 6: Hundreds of tribesmen and Ulema staged an anti-US demonstration here on Friday. They asked the government to stop military operation in areas near the Afghan border. The demonstration, which was attended by more than 5,000 Ulema, students of seminaries and tribesmen, was organized by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl).

MNA Maulana Nek Zaman, Senator Mateen Shah, Maulana Mohammad Dindar and Maulvi Saleem Gul addressed the protesters who had been chanting anti-US slogans. The protesters also set an effigy of US President Bush on fire.

Criticizing the deployment of security forces in the area, they alleged that the US had pressurised the government into launching an operation against tribesmen of the North Waziristan Agency.

They said that peace had prevailed in the area and there was need for the army troops there.

“We condemn the military operation in the area,” the angry tribal elders said, warning that the army action would have very serious repercussions for the country.

The parliamentarians said that military authorities had conducted operations in Lawara Mandai, Shawal and other areas of the agency without taking the elders into confidence.

They condemned distribution of pamphlets in Miramshah and other parts of the agency in which the tribesmen were warned to close down music centres within five days.

EXPLOSION: Ten shops were partially damaged when a bomb exploded in a video centre in main Miramshah bazaar on Thursday night.

There had been no casualties, officials said. They said that 10 shops had been partially damaged as a result of the explosion.

The political authorities were investigating.