WANA, May 31: Political authorities in the South Waziristan tribal region have said they would have no choice but to launch another military operation if the economic blockade failed to pressure Ahmadzai Wazir tribe to turn over foreign militants.
This warning came amid a crackdown on Ahmadzai Wazir tribesmen. The authorities have rounded up 20 more tribesmen, raising the overall number of those detained to about 60 picked up since Saturday.
They have also seized about 40 vehicles of the erring Ahmadzai Wazir tribe under the 1901 Frontier Crimes Regulations. This law give sweeping powers to the authorities to punish an entire tribe for failing to meet government's demands.
"We have no other option. There were jirgas and lashkars, but they all failed to resolve the issue," Wana administrator Asmatullah Gandapur told Dawn. Authorities in the tribal region have sealed off the entire Wana bazaar of about 6,000 shops and have thrown barbed wire and sandbags around it to create a security cordon manned by paramilitary forces and Khasadars with heavy weapons.
The paramilitary troops have also taken up positions on rooftops of shops and streets while armoured carriers continue to patrol the area. Wana bazaar is deserted and the life seems to have come to a standstill. People are facing problems in taking patients to hospital.
Malik Muhammad Anwar and Sardullah Khan, the two tribal notables under detention at Wana jail, told Dawn that they were willing to talk to the authorities, but made it clear that they could do little to persuade foreign militants into either surrendering or getting themselves registered.
"We are helpless," said Malik Muhammad Anwar. "We have been begging them, beseeching them (militants), but they are not listening to us. We are helpless no matter how much pressure the government exerts," he said.
"We are ready for talks, but the government should show us the way to get out of this impasse," he said. But the administrator Wana said the tribesmen had only one option left; surrender foreign militants. "Its better they forget the past stories and start working towards the future to preempt military operation," Mr Gandapur said.