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WANA (South Waziristan):
A 48-hours ultimatum was set off by authorities in a tribal
belt to cage terrorists specifically 'three persons', as the
process of prolonged dialogues between political
administration and tribal clerks came to an end in South
Waziristan on Saturday.
'Political Agent Warns'
Secretary FATA, Brigadier Mehmood Shah says that Political
Agent has warned all the tribal people and those who are
responsible persons of the area to provide complete
information and names of the terrorists to whom they provided
refugee in their area.
On Monday the political agents would meet the tribal clerks
again and deem over the legal actions against those terrorist
residing in the area as refugees.
'Failing'
Replying to a question, Brig Mehmood Shah said if failing to
arrest of the terrorists, stringent actions would be taken
against them and their business could be sealed off.
With this, those persons could be arrested who have harboured
them in the area.
Pakistani authorities gave
tribal leaders a two-day ultimatum on Saturday to hand over
three tribesmen believed to have sheltered al-Qaida terrorists
near the Afghan border.
Troops Hunting
Troops meanwhile were hunting suspected al-Qaida militants who
fired rockets Thursday at an army camp in the border area. The
attack killed four soldiers and wounded five.
The operation took place near Wana in South Waziristan, one of
Pakistan's deeply conservative, semiautonomous tribal areas in
mountains along the Afghan border.
The tribal elders were warned Saturday that the government
will consider 'serious action' against them if the owners of
the three compounds are not handed over in two days.
As many as four personnel of Pakistan Army were killed when a
stray rocket hit an Administration camp of the Security Forces
in the area of Wana, South Waziristan late Friday.
Director General ISPR, Major General Shaukat Sultan confirming
the news told 'Pakistan Times', the first independent
daily web newspaper of Pakistan mid-night Friday that a stray
rocket had fallen on an administration camp, in the border
area of Pakistan and Afghanistan, that left two jawans
martyred while two others wounded critically. They also
succumbed to their wounds later, he added.
He said, 'this incident had nothing to do with the search
operation against the foreign terrorists hiding in the area.'
The rocket attack on the camp was an isolated incident, which
could not be connected with the operation, he said. The attack
was being investigated, he said.
Search Operation
To a question, the ISPR chief said that the Wana operation was
primarily directed to cage suspected terrorists without any
discrimination.
'Actually it is search operation, which is an on-going process
with an objective to eliminate terrorism, in its all forms and
manifestations' was the reply of Major General Shaukat Sultan
when asked as to how long shall it take to complete the
current operation.
He said that 'search was aimed at unearthing the terrorists,
irrespective of their origin.'
No Foreign Suspects Found
Pakistan Army with the help of Paramilitary troops had
launched a search operation in the early hours of Thursday.
During the offensive, the troops combed Kalu Shah village near
Wana, the main town in South Waziristan tribal agency around
40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Afghan border.
'The search operation, concluded last night and no foreign
suspects have been found' Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan said by
adding 'any operation within Pakistani borders, was carried
out solely by the Pakistani agencies without any foreign
participation.'
An other report says that authorities have promised to meet
the demand of the tribal elders and free 28 people who were
taken into custody for questioning.
Under law, an entire tribe is responsible for any crime
committed by one of its members and can be punished
collectively. Tribal elders are expected to work with
authorities and turn in any criminals. In return, the tribes
have autonomy over their affairs.
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