PESHAWAR, Dec 20: Tribal leaders have opposed training the Khasadar force to hunt remnants of Taliban and Al Qaeda network, threatening to hold a public meeting on Jan 10 in the provincial metropolis to register their protest in this regard.

Speaking at a news conference here on Saturday, Haji Sher Mohammad, nephew of noted freedom fighter Faqir of Epi, along with other tribal leaders, said that the government was interfering in tribal areas on the pretext of arresting members of Al Qaeda and Taliban, who allegedly infiltrate from Afghanistan.

“On our own, we have decided to impose a fine amounting to Rs5 million on people sheltering Taliban or Al Qaeda members and there is no need for the government to intervene in our affairs on the pretext of arresting infiltrators,” he said, adding that the government should finish the ongoing operation in the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas because the tribesmen themselves were committed to check these outlawed elements.

He also opposed the recent recruitment and training of the Khasadar force in Fata, saying the tribesmen were already trained in operating all sorts of guns. The government, he said, was also training the khasadar jawans to salute, which was against the tribal traditions and hurt their ego.

He also slammed the government for its failure to provide incentives to tribesman offered to them earlier in connection with poppy eradication scheme.

He said tribal leaders — and not the levies — were decision-makers in Fata areas, adding that assigning levies tasks that were not in line with their stature contradicted tribal traditions.

The government, he said, had allowed non-custom paid vehicles in Swat and Chitral areas for a period of five years, adding that it was not keeping its promises in this regard.