HANGU, Nov 7: Authorities on Friday arrested two tribal chieftains from the Orakzai Agency, who, along with a number of other tribal leaders, went to Afghanistan during the army’s operation against suspected Al Qaeda elements in the South Waziristan Agency, officials said.

These tribal leaders, it was learnt, had remained in Afghanistan for about 10 days.

Sources said that after having reached inside Afghanistan, tribal leaders, including Malik Mir Said and Haji Fazlur Rehman of the Orakzai Agency had met Governor of the Nagrahar province Haji Din Mohammad as well as other Afghan ministers.

It was learnt that they returned just before the beginning of Ramazan, adding that they had kept the fact secret from their fellow tribesmen.

The agency’s political administration, after coming to know about the tribal leader’s secret visit, served notices on the Esa and Sheikhan tribes to explain the purpose of their foreign tour.

On Thursday, the political administration had arrested Malik Mir Said and sent him to Kohat prison, sources said.