Share this story!            

Anti-terror pact reached with NW tribesmen

* First deal signed with elders, not militants

By Iqbal Khattak

PESHAWAR: The Wazir and Daur tribes on Monday reached an “agreement” with the North Waziristan (NW) political administration against “extremism” and “terrorism”, according to governor’s office.

“The political administration of North Waziristan and all sub-tribes and clans of Wazir and Daur tribes have agreed to jointly struggle against extremism and terrorism throughout the agency,” a press release from Governor’s House said.

“The agreement was signed in Miranshah (headquarters of North Waziristan),” it said.

The blurred four-and-a-half line press release, however, gave no details of the agreement.

It did not say what punitive measures the tribesmen had adopted in the agreement. There was also no mention of Taliban-linked militancy and reported presence of foreign militants in the area.

First deal: Monday’s agreement was the first the government had signed with local tribes instead of militant groups.

The government earlier inked a peace pact with militants in September 2006. But the Taliban later pulled back of the deal because of security forces’ deployment on main checkposts.

The new agreement came two days after Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani’s “professional nature” visit to Miranshah and Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan.

Former security chief for the Tribal Areas, Brig (r) Mehmood Shah, called the agreement “good hand-writing of the new governor”.

No official from Governor’s House was willing to give details of the agreement.

Home | National

Share this story!