ISLAMABAD, Sept 15: The government told the Senate on Wednesday that it would begin dialogue with political parties and other stake-holders as part of what looked like a new move to bring peace to South Waziristan.

Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, speaking after an opposition criticism of the army operation in the tribal agency, said the dialogue by a high-level government committee would include talks with tribal elders. But he did not agree to almost a unanimous demand by 16 senators who spoke for the formation of a house committee to probe facts about the Wana situation.

The minister did not name members of the committee but he seemed to be referring to the same body that was constituted by President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz during a briefing given to them earlier in the day in Rawalpindi about the law and order situation in Balochistan and the anti-militant operations.

The committee consists of the NWFP governor and federal ministers for interior and information. Mr Sherpao said that while the government would follow a policy of dialogue, it would not tolerate terrorist activity on the country's soil.

He promised to consider a suggestion from Raza Rabbani, parliamentary leader of the People's Party Parliamentarians, to enlarge a planned briefing on the Wana situation to all members of the house but said it would be limited to parliamentary leaders for the time being.

He disagreed with an assertion by Farhatullah Babar (PPP) that it was a confrontation between the army and tribal people and said the operation was directed against foreign militants hiding in Wana.

In what was a trouble-free debate allowed by Chairman Mohammedmian Soomro, 14 senators from the opposition parties and two from the ruling coalition spoke on the Wana situation.

Initiating the debate, Mr Rabbani blamed President Musharraf's policies for the "clouds of danger hovering over Pakistan". He said he feared there would be a "far-reaching backlash".

He said a previous peace agreement with tribesmen was not implemented under foreign pressure and accused the government of compromising both the economic and territorial integrity of the country.

Prof Ghafoor Ahmed and some other senators of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal said only local tribals, including old men, women and children, were killed in the recent military action in the area, rejecting official reports that most of those killed were foreigners.

PML-N Senator Sardar Mehtab Khan accused the government of running US President George Bush's election campaign "on our soil" and called for settling the matter through political dialogue.

BNP (Mengal) Senator Sanaullah Baloch accused the government of acting on wrong information provided by junior army officers and said "foundations of the state will be weakened if bullets are shot into the chest of our own people".