A grand tribal jirga of the Salarzai tribes in Bajaur Agency on Friday announced tougher sanctions against supporters of the Taliban.The new sanctions include the torching of houses and a fine of Rs 1 million for Salarzai tribesmen providing refuge to the militants, tribal elders told Daily Times.
Elders of all the Salarzai tribes participated in the jirga, which also decided that the Taliban would not be allowed to disrupt peace in the Salarzai tehsil.
Addressing the jirga, Malak Manasab Khan, Malak Bakhtawar Khan, Malak Abdul Nasir and Malak Muhammad Younas said, "Pakistan is our country and we don't want militancy here. Those involved in creating law and order problems in the tehsil have no right to live here."
They said if the Taliban took any action against them, they would react strongly. "Complete peace has been restored in the Salarzai tehsil and there is no militant in the area," the elders told the jirga. The tribal elders also convened a grand jirga of the Salarzai tribes on September 10.
Meanwhile, security forces, backed by helicopter gunships and artillery, destroyed suspected militant hideouts in Khar and Torghundi areas.
The locals have started fleeing to safer areas. The locals face problems due to an un-announced curfew in the agency. Most of the business centres and government departments remained closed.
TTP: Spokesman of the defunct Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Maulvi Umer said on telephone from an undisclosed location that the government was violating the ceasefire in Bajaur Agency, Swat and other Tribal Areas. He vowed that the Taliban were still standing by their promise. "There is complete ceasefire from the Taliban side," he added.
Umer said the Taliban reserved the right to retaliate where the security forces attacked them. He also warned of revenge for the damages done to the Taliban.