KOHLU, Jan 21: Law-enforcement agencies have smashed 11 ‘farari camps’ in Kohlu and Dera Bugti out of a total 29 in the two districts, says Lt-Col Naeem Masood of the Frontier Corps.
Briefing journalists about the situation in the two districts at the Maiwand Rifles headquarters here on Saturday, he said nine camps were destroyed in Kohlu and two in Dera Bugti. The camps destroyed in Kohlu included Karmo Wadh, Siah Ghari, Hasspur, Jabbar, Peshi and Ber. Such camps in Dera Bugti were identified as Pekal and Murung.
Lt-Col Masood said there were over 41 farari camps in the province — 14 in tehsil Kahan of Kohlu, 15 in Dera Bugti, six in Sibi and another six in other areas. These camps were used to carry out subversive activities in Dera Bugti, Kohlu and adjacent areas, he added.
“These were the hideouts from where the government installations and innocent people were attacked.”
He held Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri responsible for committing atrocities on their tribesmen and keeping their areas backward.
He said both the tribal chiefs were providing shelter to absconders and outlaws in those camps and used them for vested interest.
“So far, hundreds of rocket attacks have been made from these camps,” he said and added that scores of FC troops had been killed in landmine explosions and rocket firing.
The colonel said that Nawab Bugti and Nawab Marri were engaged in a struggle to challenge the government writ in order to run the affairs of their areas according to their will.
He said these ‘terrorists’ were receiving funds from a foreign country to purchase sophisticated arms from Afghan nationals as the weapons they used could not be manufactured locally.
“They even possess the long-range missiles and other sophisticated weapons to target government installations, including the headquarters of FC in Kohlu and Dera Bugti,” he said.
He termed both the tribal leaders ‘main hurdle’ in the way of development of their areas. He said they were also hampering the process in other parts of the province as was evident from the rocket attacks on Mirani dam and killing of Chinese engineers in Gwadar.
He said the government had to delay nine seismic surveys to explore the mineral potential of the area and other development projects owing to their subversive activities.
“Despite the anti-state activities of Nawab Marri and his sons, the government invited Mir Baloch Marri, son of Nawab Marri, to attend President Musharraf’s public meeting in Kohlu,” he said. However, he pointed out, Baloch Marri made rocket attacks in Kohlu instead of accepting the invitation.
Lt-Col Masood blamed Nawab Bugti for violating the agreement he had reached with the government. Kohlu DCO Naseem Lehri said that President Pervez Musharraf had announced Rs1.5 billion for development of the district during his recent visit to the town out of which Rs1 billion would be spent on construction of Kohlu-Sibi road. —APP