KOHAT, May 13: Following the military operation in Kalusha the foreign elements might have changed their hideouts but the government had confirmed reports that hundreds of them were still there in the South Waziristan Agency and all that was now being said by their chief protector, Nek Mohammad, were a mere lie, administrator of the troubled tribal region, Asmatullah Khan Gandapur, told Dawn on Thursday.

It had earlier been reported that there were between 500 and 600 foreigners there, but fearing action 'a good number' them had left the area. Some of them were living with their families while most of the aliens were bachelors. All of them were heavily armed.

The Ahmadzai Wazir tribe knew what was going on in their region and where were the foreigners hiding, Mr Gandapur said in reply to a question by telephone from Wana, the headquarters of the South Waziristan Agency.

The government, he warned, would take punitive action against the tribe, the five men who had been given amnesty by the military and foreign terrorists if the aliens hiding in the Agency failed to start registering themselves by Friday.

When asked how would the government respond if the foreigners failed to surrender by Friday, he said: "I will use my powers under Article 21 of the Frontier Crimes Regulation to punish the tribe and to avoid military action so that the problem was resolved in a peaceful manner.

The FCR stipulates that action can be taken under the law of collective responsibility against the tribe. "We stop paying their salaries, close their businesses, arrest all their elders and Maliks, impound their vehicles and collect heavy fines. The punishments can be even harsher due to the sensitivity of the present case."

Mr Gandapur said that Nek Mohammad, the protector of the foreigners, was trying to deceive the government and making irresponsible statements and absolving himself of all responsibility if the foreigners refused to cooperate with him.

Mr Gandapur said now it was Nek Mohammad's problem to persuade aliens to get themselves registered. "After all he (Nek Mohammad) played a major role in protecting their lives and providing them a safe haven in Pakistan.

Now it is up to him to decide what is good for him and his friends," the administrator said. "We have given them ample time and the President and Chief of the Army Staff Gen Pervez Musharraf himself has promised them amnesty if they register themselves and live peacefully. So now the ball is in Nek Mohammad's court.

"He is the main accused who has still strong links with Al Qaeda and Taliban, but he has been pardoned so he is now stopping others to follow the course.

If he fails to abide by the agreement reached between the military and the parliamentarians in Shakai he can also be arrested along with his other four companions. We cannot allow Nek Mohammad and other local militants to go scot free if the foreigners continue their terrorist activities in the country and elsewhere."

He said only Nek Mohammad had seen the foreigners whereas the Ahmadzai Wazirs knew where they were hiding on the soil owned by them. About the agreement with Nek Mohammad he said that they had been given three options: register themselves with the local administration, surrender unconditionally or leave Pakistan forever.

He also said that under the tribal traditions there was not a written agreement but everything was jirgas and verbal commitments made by elders of an area had to be honoured at all costs.

The Ahmadzai Wazirs and the parliamentarians involved in dialogue with the government had assured the government that if the five main protectors were pardoned the foreigners would also register or surrender and if they backed out (Nek Mohammad and others) it would be deemed as guilty for violating the agreement unilaterally.

He said so far the government had observed extreme restraint to avoid further bloodshed in the area but there was a limit to everything.

He expressed the hope that Nek Mohammad and his foreign accomplices would understand the gravity of the situation and avail themselves of the government's amnesty offer because there were undeniable proofs of their involvement in illegal activities inside Pakistan and across the border.

"They have to do this if they want to live freely and save their whole tribe and foreigners from punishment," Mr Gandapur declared.

He said the situation was still very tense in the area - the army was ready to intervene if the talks failed to prove fruitful, the lashkar constituted to arrest and punish the foreign elements was awaiting a green signal from the government and pressure was mounting on the tribesmen with each passing day.

He said a final decision to use force against foreigners, in case they did not register, would be taken by the military high commanded and the NWFP governor.

The tribal elders and parliamentarians are engaged in talks with the militants since April 20 to find a peaceful solution to the problem and save the people from an operation.

Earlier on more than seven occasions during the past one and a half months Nek Mohammad and his accomplices had informed the grand meeting that they had failed to persuade the aliens to register themselves with the local authorities. All efforts to end the deadlock have failed so far.

MNA Maulana Abdul Malik, MNA Maulana Mairajudd in and MNA Maulana Noor Mohammad are representing the government side in talks with Nek Mohammad, Maulvi Abbas, Abdul Aziz, Javed and Omar.