The tribal lashkar (army) has ceased operations against Al Qaeda militants and their local supporters in the Azam Warsak area for three days and are waiting for the outcome of the âsecret talksâ between parliamentarians from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the NWFP governor on proposals from the locals wanted by the government for supporting Al Qaeda militants, a Zalikhel elder told Daily Times on Tuesday. âWe have halted the operation to wait for the talksâ outcome. The temporary suspension is aimed at giving a chance to resolving the issue peacefully,â he added.
| "We drove around in pickup trucks for a few days and waved our guns. Now we'll sit around and smoke and tell about how brave we are while they make some more yap yap. The guys we're looking for should be in Dubhai by now..." |
A government official in Peshawar said Nek Muhammad, a wanted tribesman charged with supporting Al Qaeda militants in South Waziristan Agency, had asked for the operationâs suspension and wait for the results of the meeting between FATA MNAs Abdul Malik and Maulana Mirajuddin and NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah in Peshawar. The meeting between them was being kept secret and no party was willing to divulge details. Sources told Daily Times that the tribesmen wanted by the government agreed to accept one of the three demands of the all-tribes jirga â to live peacefully. The jirga had earlier forwarded a set of three demands â to surrender, live peacefully or leave Pakistan. âIf the wanted tribesmen are ready to accept one of the government-backed jirgaâs demands, it will be difficult for the government to ignore their decision,â a tribal elder from Wana said. âTheir proposal(s) will be considered after consultations among the governmentâs political and military advisors,â sources added. |