December 03, 2008	Wednesday	Zilhaj 4, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Dec 2: Former governor of the NWFP, Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai, has advised the government to review its policy of carrying out military operations in the tribal areas and hold talks with Taliban to avoid more deaths and destruction.

Speaking at a seminar held by the Institute of Policy Studies here on Tuesday, the retired general warned that the Taliban movement was gaining momentum and the war in the tribal areas could drag on for an indefinite period.

He said the jirga system was the best mechanism to resolve the issue.

“When the so-called war on terror was launched, there were hardly 1,500 hardcore Taliban, but their number has been swelling and their ‘campaign’ has snowballed,” Mr Aurakzai said.

He said the war had spread from Afghanistan to the tribal areas because of wrong policies and now it was gradually coming towards the settled areas.