PESHAWAR, Oct 15: Administration of the South Waziristan Agency on Wednesday stopped a seven-member parliamentarian team from entering the tribal region, citing a law which bans political activities in the federally administered tribal areas.

The group, comprising MMA parliamentarians and led by Liaquat Baloch, was stopped at Jandola near Tank, about 290km from Peshawar.

The MNAs were heading to the agency situated along the border with Afghanistan where troops and local administration had launched a crackdown to flush out Al Qaeda suspects and their supporters.

The seven-member fact-finding group had left for the South Waziristan Agency on Tuesday to ascertain details in connection with the operation.

Sources said the political authorities stopped the parliamentarians at the Jandola checkpoint and informed them that their entry to the area had been banned in view of the prevailing security situation.

Later, the MNAs staged a sit-in in front of a mosque to lodge their protest against the government decision.

Officials said agency’s political agent Azam Khan met the MNAs at Tank before their departure for the agency to dissuade them from proceeding ahead. However, the MNAs refused to cancel their plan.

The MMA parliamentarians had planned to visit those areas of the agency where army troops were conducting the operation against Al Qaeda suspects to apprise themselves of the situation.

“The parliamentarians were told that they needed permission from the federal government to enter tribal areas,” an official familiar with the matter said.

“They were told that there is a ban on political activities in tribal areas and the MMA being a political entity could not be allowed to enter,” he said.

He said the parliamentarians were also reminded that even the National Assembly could not legislate any law for tribal areas without the consent of the president under the 1973 Constitution and, therefore, they could not be allowed to enter tribal area on the mere plea that they were parliamentarians,” he said.

Our Correspondent Badar Farooq Mughal adds: Talking to newsmen at the residence of Maulana Fazlur Rehman here on Wednesday, MNA Liaquat Baloch alleged that the military operation in tribal areas had created a sense of hatred among tribal people against the armed forces.

He also condemned the statement of Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed in which he described the operation as action against terrorists and termed it legal.

Mr Baloch said the operation was against the innocent people. He stated the MMA would launch a movement against the government if troops were sent to Iraq. The MMA leader claimed that there was no threat to the MMA government in the NWFP and said the provincial cabinet would be expended soon.