PESHAWAR, Jan 13: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani on Tuesday said the army operation in FATA amounted to questioning the tribesmen's patriotism besides suspecting their traditions.

He said this while talking with members of a 20-member delegation from the Khyber Agency here. Mr Durrani said the federal government should have taken relevant quarters into confidence before initiating an army operation anywhere in the FATA region, a handout quoted the governor as saying.

He said that tribesmen had played active role in freedom of Kashmir and wars with India and also rendered sacrifices for the defence of the country. Mr Durrani termed tribesmen volunteer guardians of the country's western borders, saying they should be taken into confidence before undertaking this kind of operations in their areas.

The governor said their (tribesmen's) services for the country could not be ignored, adding they should be acknowledged. Our Nowshera correspondent adds: On repeated complaints by MPA Maulana Mujahid Khan and the district chapter of the JUI-F against the MS of the Nowshera district headquarters hospital, the NWFP Chief Minister, Akram Khan Durrani, reverted the same officer to an OSD, directing him to report directly to the department.

The Executive District Officer (health), Dr Hafiz Syed Mahmud, was given the additional charge of the MS of the hospital. The chief minister also constituted a committee to probe corruption charges against MS Abdul Wahid Shah. Another committee was also formed to hold inquiry into the hooliganism at the hospital premises.

Provincial Secretary Health Dr Ihsanul Haq told this reporter that a departmental inquiry would be held against the MS on the directives of the chief minister.

EDO (health) Dr Hafiz Syed Mahmud told this correspondent that the corruption charges had been proven and financial embezzlement amounting to Rs10 million had been detected in the hospital affairs.