August 29, 2008	Friday	Sha'aban 26, 1429

TIMERGARA, Aug 28: After the killing of a close aide of Maulana Sufi Mohammad, a 70-member peace jirga of Maidan met the local Taliban at Kulal Dherai on Thursday in an effort to persuade them to leave the area, sources privy to the jirga told Dawn.

Led by Tehrik Nafaz-i-Sharia-i-Muhammadi chief Sufi Mohammad, the jirga included Maulvi Ziaul Haq, Maulavi Hamdillah, Prof Akram Khan, Malik Amanullah, Garan Malik, Manzoor Khan, Zahoorul Haq, Mohammad Azeem Khan, Malik Abdul Hakim Khan and other elders, politicians and ulema of the area.

Five Taliban took part in the talks, but their names were not disclosed to the media. The jirga told the Taliban that Maidan was a peaceful area where all the people were practicing Muslims already struggling for enforcement of Sharia in the region, according to one of the jirga member.

The jirga asked the Taliban to leave the area because their presence could create problems for local people. The Taliban representatives, the sources said, sought some time to consult their central leadership. They told the jirga that they would follow instructions of their central leaders and what answer they got from them would be conveyed to the jirga in a couple of days, the sources said.

They said the Taliban had made strong security arrangements and they bodily searched all the jirga members.

On Aug 16, the Taliban had agreed to leave the area and, the sources said, those who belonged to Waziristan or elsewhere had left the area, but their local associates were still present in the area.

Meanwhile, police claimed to have recovered arms and ammunition during routine checking at the Chakdara Pul post and arrested the accused on Thursday.

Bajaur OPERATION: A meeting of the Lower Dir District Council on Thursday unanimously demanded an end to the Bajaur military operation before Ramazan so that displaced people could return home.

Participants of the meeting, held under convener Zahir Shah, said the district could no more bear the burden of the displaced people because thousands of Afghan refugees were already living in the district.

They said that at present 26 relief camps had been set up for Bajaur’s displaced people and the government was unable to overcome problems being faced by them.

Meanwhile, a seven-year-old girl was killed and 17 other people were injured in a head-on collision between two pickups near Khazan on Thursday night.