MIRAMSHAH, July 8: In a major development, army and paramilitary forces were again deployed at all important checkpoints in the restive North Waziristan Agency on Sunday, sources and eyewitnesses said.
The checkpoints had been vacated following a peace deal between the government and militants last year.
The sources said troops had taken positions at major checkpoints in Miramshah, Mirali and Razmak tehsils and started digging trenches and checking vehicles on main roads in the region.
The NWFP governor had on Saturday advised tribal elders in the North Waziristan agency to flush out all foreigners hiding in the area.
The troops were deployed after a recent jirga of tribesmen in the Governor’s House in Peshawar.
Army and Frontier Corps personnel moved to Esha, Boya, Khajori, Dirdoni-II and other checkpoints early in the morning. The extraordinary movement of security forces caused tension and armed elements disappeared from the main bazaar of Miramshah, the agency’s administrative headquarters.
Army spokesman Maj-Gen Waheed Arshad said security forces had moved because of the situation in North Waziristan, adding that only paramilitary troops had been deployed.
“Only the Frontier Corps has been mobilised to properly control the law and order situation in the area,” he told Dawn from Islamabad.
He said the peace agreement with militants did not name any particular checkpoint and security forces had vacated some checkpoints at that time.
Tribal elders believe that redeployment of the troops at checkpoints has put the peace deal in jeopardy.
