Share this story!            

Ghani calls on Mehsud elders to support army operation

Staff Report

PESHAWAR: The government on Tuesday made direct contact with Mehsud elders to assure them they would not be targeted in Operation Rah-e-Nijat, and urged tribal elders to support the army in the offensive.

“This operation is not against you, but its target is those... who have been damaging the interests of the country and have held loyal and sincere tribesmen hostage,” NWFP Governor Owais Ghani said while addressing a representative jirga of Mehsud tribal elders in Tank.

It was the governor’s first visit to the region since the operation was launched four days ago.

The governor praised the Mehsud tribesmen, and said, “You have suffered greatly in the recent years... now you are faced with the challenge of dislocation, [but it] is temporary and you will soon return homes with honour and safety.”

He also recalled the cooperation of Malakand residents in this context, and called on the Mehsud tribal elders to support the ongoing operation against the Taliban.

Owais vowed to provide “every facility” to internally displaced persons (IDPs), and said each family would be given Rs 25,000 as cash assistance.

Earlier, the governor was told in Dera Ismail Khan that more than 15,000 IDPs had been registered.

Home | National

Share this story!