September 22, 2008	Monday	Ramazan 21, 1429

LAHORE, Sept 21: Former army chief Gen Mirza Aslam Beg says tribesmen may be responsible for Saturday's deadly attack on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, which left more than 50 people killed and hundreds of others injured.

In his opinion, they carried out the attack in retaliation to the daily military strikes on their areas, as a result of which thousands of innocent people, including women and children, have been killed so far.

Talking to Dawn on Sunday, Gen Beg said the government should hold peace talks with the tribesmen and ensure that the United States could not sabotage the process. He emphasized that the army should not kill its own people in the tribal areas as the reaction could be equally strong.

"There is hardly any weapon in our armoury that has not been used against the people of the tribal areas," the former army chief said.

"You kill them and they'll kill you".

He recalled that when the army killed over 400 people in the tribal areas, the tribesmen killed some 700 army men in various retaliatory missions.

Gen Beg said in president Musharraf's period talks had been held between the government and the tribal people, but sabotaged by the Americans. The US predators, he said, attacked them leading to the killing of their leader like Nek Muhmmad and others. This fact, he said, had been stated by former governor Orakzai two days ago, who had resigned in protest.

Gen Beg said now that the elected government was trying to restore peace, the US was again trying to derail the process.

He said what had happened in the past 10 days was very important.

Admiral Mike Mullen invited Gen Kayani to a meeting after which he stated that Pakistan's army chief had been told the future goal and the way to achieve it.

Similarly, he said, President Zardari had also been given necessary instructions by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

He said efforts were being made to eliminate the Taliban. But the Taliban were trying to defeat the attackers.

He pointed out that the explosive used for attack on the Marriott had been stolen from the contractor who was taking it to stone crushers of Taxila. Of the total stolen consignment, 600 kg had been used in Saturday's attack while 1,500 kg was still with them.

"Nobody knows what is going to be their next target".

Answering a question, Gen Beg said four years ago when India signed the strategic partnership agreement with the US, the latter declared that Afghanistan was part of South Asia, not Central Asia. "And since then they have given authority to India to establish in Afghanistan one of the largest spy networks for use against all the neighbouring countries".

Gen Beg said: "Now they have signed another agreement that by the end of next year they will have 150,000 Indian soldiers in Afghanistan. From this development one can imagine what are their intentions for the region".

The former army chief said the US wanted to keep the Pakistan Army engaged in the "running war" with their own people.

He said the first thing that the government must realize was that a fight against freedom fighters had never been won by anyone. "The Soviet had lost it in the 80s, the US has lost it in Iraq, the Israelis suffered a shameful defeat in Lebanon, the US and NATO are facing defeat in Afghanistan".

He said distancing itself from the US, the Pakistan government should restart peace process with the tribesmen and let not any country sabotage it.

"Any other course adopted by the government would spell disaster".