PESHAWAR, March 20: Hundreds of peace activists and social workers took out a procession here on Saturday against the military operation in the South Waziristan region. Protesters, including women and children , marched on Sher Shah Soori Road, chanting slogans against the FBI and what they termed a war in tribal areas in the name of Al Qaeda.

The Sarhad NGOs Ittehad (SNI), after holding the maiden provincial convention of NGOs, organized a peace march, which was also attended by activists of the workers federation and labour unions to condemn the ongoing military action in the South Waziristan region.

The procession started from Archives Hall and culminated in front of the Peshawar Press Club, where the protesters staged a sit-in to register their protest.

Speaking on the occasion, Awami National Party Central Vice-president Haji Mohammad Adeel blamed the Inter services Intelligence (ISI) and the CIA for harbouring Arab and Chechen mercenaries in the region.

He said the ISI had brought Arab volunteers in the area during Afghan war, but now innocent tribesmen were paying the price it.

State agencies, he claimed, knew about the whereabouts of the wanted people, but the tribesmen were being victimized to please foreign masters.

Haji Adeel demanded withdrawal of troops from the tribal area and convening a jirga to persuade foreigners to leave the region.

Earlier, SNI's convention adopted a unanimous resolution calling upon the government to stop army operation in South Waziristan, demolishing houses and killing civilians in the troubled area.

The resolution also urged the government to initiate a public inquiry report regarding the killing of 13 tribesmen by security forces near Wana.

Speaking at the convention, Human Resource Management and Development Centre Chairperson Bushra Gohar alleged that the government and donor agencies had joined hands against NGOs.

She said they did not consider NGOs and CBOs their partners and asked NGOs to adopt a transparent agenda to stop their exploitation at the hands of the donors.

Miss Gohar dispelled the impression that local NGOs were totally depended on foreign donors, saying that some 4,000 registered NGOs were getting only six per cent of the total funds from foreign donors.

The chief of the Rise, an NGO, Prof Mohammad Ismail, criticized government policies and alleged that the US and its allies had turned the region into a war zone to safeguard their interests, he added.

He said the NWFP government's approach was very negative towards NGOs and civil society representatives were being corrupted. He alleged that the government was providing funds to its like-minded organizations.

Punjab NGOs Council Chairman Rana Shafiqur Rehman said non-governmental organizations should not involve themselves in power politics and consider them a replacement of political parties.

The SNI provincial coordinator, Shakeel Waheedullah, urged participants to shun their differences and join hands to face the growing challenges. He criticized the US government, stating that there had been growing unrest across the world due to the policies of the US.