Troops raid militants’ hideout in Tribal belt of NW Pakistan
Pakistan Times National News Desk

PESHAWAR: Authorities in North Waziristan have suspended five government-employed Khassadars for negligence during Monday’s incident in Miranshah town in which three government officials were killed.

The suspensions were ordered on a day when the Pakistan Army troops launched an operation in the remote Shawal area near the border with Afghanistan following a tip-off about presence of foreign militants in Kundi village.

Credible sources said that the troops searched the suspected place and found arms and ammunition, including rockets, sleeping bags, jackets, food and medicines.

The sources said the foreign militants had apparently used it a hideout and escaped before they could be apprehended. The troops faced no resistance while carrying out the search, which ended on Tuesday afternoon.

Official sources said the five members of the armed tribal force, or Khassadars as they are commonly called, failed to react when gunmen attacked and shot dead Tehsildar Iftikhar Khattak, political Moharrir Ali Imroze and a Khassadar, Abdul Hameed. The killers managed to escape from the scene of the occurrence.

The political agent, North Waziristan, Tariq Hayat, said those doing good work would be rewarded while government officials failing to discharge their duty would be punished.

The incident happened in broad daylight in a busy bazaar of Miranshah, headquarters of the North Waziristan tribal agency. The town’s markets closed down after the killings and later the authorities imposed a nigh-time curfew in a bid to plug the escape routes of the alleged killers.

Residents said the situation was calm Tuesday and the bazaars in Miranshah were open. The tension that filled the town Monday had subsided though the people were worried about the turn events could take place in troubled North Waziristan.

Meanwhile, the authorities were putting pressure on the Borakhel Wazir sub-tribe to surrender two men accused of involvement in the killing of the three government officials.

The tribal elders have already handed over two other accused, namely Gul Badshah and his nephew Sher Badshah, to the administration.

The remaining two accused were reportedly accomplices of Gul Badshah and Sher Badshah. The Borakhel Wazirs could face punitive measures under the collective responsibility clause of the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) if they fail to produce the two wanted men.

The body of Iftikhar Khattak, the deceased Tehsildar of Miranshah, was taken to his native Karak district for burial Monday evening. He was reportedly a marked man after having tracked down and nabbed some of the wanted militants.●