October 08, 2008	Wednesday	Shawwal 08, 1429

TANK, Oct 7: Continuous flights of spy planes over South Waziristan and fears of a military operation in the Mehsud area have triggered an exodus of tribesmen.

Sources said that people carrying their belongings are arriving in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan, causing a sudden increase in house rents.

Many other families are reported to be moving to big cities, including Hyderabad and Karachi.

Sources said that almost 40 per cent of the people of the Mehsud area had left their homes and moved to the settled areas of the NWFP.

Security forces had carried out an operation against Taliban in certain parts of the Mehsud tribe in February this year and number of houses, bazaars and government buildings were destroyed.

That operation had displaced about 300,000 Mehsuds.

Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Wali Rehman denied his organisation’s involvement in Monday’s suicide attack in Bhakkar.

He told this correspondent on phone that some elements were trying to blame Baitullah Mehsud for the attack.

He accused the “the elements who are patronising lashkars in the tribal region” of being responsible for the blast.