PESHAWAR, March 10: The government has banned possession, sale and use of heavy and ‘nuclear weapons of all types’ in all the tribal regions, says a notification issued by the Governor’s Secretariat (Fata).

However, tribesmen in Wana on Thursday agreed to sell their weapons to the government at market price.

The government, as part of the ‘Weapons Policy for Fata’, has already started what it calls the ‘Weapons Buy Back Programme’ to encourage tribesmen to sell their heavy weapons to the government.

“The unrestricted dissemination of dangerous weapons and firearms in the tribal areas and their frequent use in various inter and intra-tribal feuds and use of such weapons against the security forces has been a serious cause of concern,” the notification titled ‘Weapons Policy for Fata’ said.

The order was issued to the administrators of all the seven tribal regions with copies for information to the Headquarters of 11 Corps and Frontier Corps in Peshawar. It sets out policy guidelines to restrict and regulate the possession and sale of arms in the tribal areas.

It said the tribesmen could keep small arms for their personal protection till the law and order situation improved, and the government was in a position to provide and ensure security of their life and property.

By way of definition, an official privy to the formulation of the weapons policy said, tribesmen could keep the prized AK-47 Kalashnikov rifles.

“However, there shall be a complete ban on display and carrying of all kinds of firearms in the main bazaars, towns, within the premises of educational institutions, at fairs or in gatherings or processions of religious, ceremonial or sectarian character or other public places,” the order read.

Though the order has become effective, witnesses in the volatile South Waziristan tribal region told Dawn that there was total disregard for the new policy as people could be seen moving around in vehicles mounted with Dshka or the 12.7mm light anti-aircraft guns in bazaars and markets and passing through checkpoints manned by the paramilitary Frontier Corps.

In its annexure “A”, the order has listed heavy weapons to include all cannons, all types of artillery, mortars, machines, and submachine guns, anti-tank rifles and recoil-less guns or rifles and bazookas, nuclear weapons of all types, projectors, guided missiles, and discharges for grenades, rockets, bombs and gas or smoke containers, flame throwers of all types, all carriages, platforms and appliances for mounting or transporting cannons and parts of cannons.

However, the government did not explained as to why it chose to include nuclear weapons for the ban since there has been no evidence to suggest that the tribesmen or foreign militants associated with Al-Qaeda hiding in the region are in possession of such weapons of mass destruction.

The official acknowledged that there had been no evidence of the availability of nuclear weapons with tribesmen or foreign militants, but said the order had been drafted with a view to meet future challenges.

“We are thinking 100 years ahead,” the official remarked, requesting he not be named.

Brig Mahmood Shah, who heads the security department in Fata, said the government had allocated Rs20 million to buy back weapons.

“If need be, we can get more money to buy heavy weapons that are not supposed to be with tribesmen,” he said.

He said the government had planned to regulate the sale and purchase of weapons, arms and ammunition in the tribal areas to bring it in conformity with the rest of the country.

Annexure “B” spells out the Standing Operating Procedure of the Weapons Buy Back Programme. It said the programme had been launched with a view to deny access to heavy weapons by terrorists who had been using them against security forces, particularly in Waziristan, since the start of the Operation Al-Mizan against foreign militants and their local harbourers.

The programme would be conducted through the Frontier Corps with the inspector general of the FC as its overall in charge to supervise the plan in all the tribal regions.

Purchase committees are to include administrators of their respective tribal regions as their presidents, with members drawn in from the Frontier Corps and intelligence agencies, to set the base price for all weapons and ammunition to be purchased; ascertain their serviceability and ensure transparency in their dealings.

A technical committee has also been formed to carry out inspection of the weapons and ammunition purchased, ascertain their serviceability, safe and proper storage and carry out destruction of weapons and ammunition.

“It is a comprehensive policy and we hope to be able to make significant strides in cleansing the tribal society of heavy weapons,” Mahmood Shah said.

Efforts by governments in the past to ban heavy weapons in the tribal regions had ended in total failure.

Brig Shah said administrators in their respective tribal regions were holding meeting with tribes to encourage them to sell their heavy weapons to the government. “We are working with all sincerity and determination to make the policy a success,” he said.

AFP adds: Tribesmen in Wana agreed on Thursday to sell their heavy weapons to the government as part of an effort to keep arms out of the hands of militants, clan leaders said.

“We have decided to hand over our heavy weapons to the authorities at the market price,” tribal elder Masood Khan told reporters in Wana.

The government last week said it would seize the weapons if they were not sold.

Members of the dominant Mehsud tribe agreed to the buy-back after holding a jirga, or tribal assembly, as the deadline for accepting the offer ended on Thursday.