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Taliban attack party to stop music

Staff Report

TANK: A group of Taliban stormed a wedding ceremony to disrupt a music programme, wounding one man a few days after they ordered Bhittani tribesmen to grow beards, eyewitnesses said on Tuesday.

Naib Nazim Haji Abdur Rehman told reporters that dozens of Taliban attacked the music programme at the wedding of Haji Saeedullah’s two sons in Maghzey village of Tank district. “They came by vehicles and opened fire at the participants in the music programme, wounding one late on Monday evening,” the naib nazim said.

Riaz Kundi, Tank district nazim, confirmed the incident but gave no details. “I am still gathering information,” he said.

“Everyone ran for cover when the bearded Taliban attacked the programme,” the naib nazim said. “The music was stopped and all the frightened music-lovers went home.”

The attack came three days after a Taliban chief in Jandola, a town on the Tank border with South Waziristan, ordered Bhittani tribesmen to grow beards within three weeks.

“Maulana Asmatullah, who claims to be the Taliban chief in Jandola, asked every adult to grow a beard or severe punishment will be awarded after the deadline expires,” a shopkeeper in Jandola bazaar told Daily Times.

Meanwhile, key tribal commander Baitullah Mehsud denied on Tuesday that the Taliban had set up a parallel government in the tribal areas. “Reports about the establishment of a parallel administration or parallel government in Waziristan are baseless and it is a media smear campaign against Islam and Pakistan,” he said in a statement issued in Tank city.

His statement comes after reports from Waziristan that a Taliban-style parallel administration was set up disperse justice under Sharia.

The Tuesday statement is the first from Mehsud since his peace deal with the South Waziristan administration on February 7, 2005. “We want development and peace in our areas and Pakistan is our country and we have to uphold its constitution,” Mehsud added.

He said the local population pressed his force to help them against criminals and their illegal activities. “We are helping our people who asked for help,” the Taliban commander said.

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