Bajaur attack not to derail peace process, says Durrani
By Our Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD, Nov 2: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Durrani on Thursday criticised those who were exploiting the Bajaur operation for political mileage.
Speaking at a news conference at the PTV headquarters, the minister rejected the notion that the Bajaur attack would derail the peace process. He said that the peace accord was to be signed with tribal elders not terrorists.
Answering a question, the minister said the government would like that the Bajaur incident should be discussed in the upcoming National Assembly session and it would be ready to provide background briefing to all opposition members.
He claimed that despite the Monday’s attack on the seminary tribal elders from Bajaur were cooperating with the administration in talks on a peace agreement.
Asked about the urgency of operation when authorities were about to sign a peace agreement with local tribal leadership, the minister said that there was no linkage of the operation with the talks going on with tribal elders.
Very soon all ambiguities would be cleared and those making hue and cry would admit their mistake when proofs would be made public, he said.
Without naming Jamaat-i-Islami, he advised the allies of Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rahman and NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani to follow their example of playing positive roles in reaching out an accord in Bajaur Agency like that of North Waziristan Agency.
The information minister evaded a query as to whether there was any innocent killed in the missile attack. He, however, said every thing had been cleared by the government and would further be cleared through showing clippings of the site of the operation.
He said he would like to urge the NWFP chief minister to restrain those elements from indulging in undue exploitation of the issue.
He said the government did not need to take action against those elements as people had rejected their every protest call including that on the Bajaur incident.
Answering a question about links between the Bajaur operation and Al Qaeda, the minister said chain of events appear in various shapes and the government was in possession of all the information which could not be shared at present.
