PESHAWAR, May 25: Tribal elders (Maliks) in the restive North Waziristan Agency on Friday condemned the resignation of two members of the tribal peace committee terming it a ‘betrayal’.

In a written statement with signatures and thumb impressions of 15 Maliks, they said: “We strongly condemn the statement of Nasrullah Khan and former senator Mateen Shah, members of the peace committee, because they were given ample chance of rapprochement for the settlement of the conflict, but they wriggled out of the situation that amounts to betrayal.”

They said that members of the committee should have played their role in the larger interest of the country, instead of disappointment as a result of their resignations.

They said that the people of Waziristan agency had great religious and moral values and the potential to thrash out problems.

They expressed the confidence that the May 22 incident would be resolved with consultations and would not allow miscreants to vitiate the atmosphere.

They said that a decision about punishing Malik Nasrullah would be taken after proper deliberations.—APP