‘Mohmand weapons surrender voluntary’

GHALANAI: The Mohmand Agency political agent said on Wednesday that Mohmand tribes had voluntarily and unconditionally submitted heavy weapons to the government.

At a press conference to display the surrendered weapons, Political Agent Sahibzada Muhammad Anees said the tribesmen did not need these weapons if the Pakistan Army and paramilitary forces would guard the frontier region.

He said tribal elders decided in jirgas to give their heavy weapons to the government because the Pakistan Army and paramilitary forces were deployed on the border to defend the country and tribal people.

He said the weapons included anti-aircraft guns, mortars, missiles, heavy guns, rocket launchers and ammunition. He said the Haleemzai, Baizai, Khuizai, Safi, Utmankhel and Taragzai tribes surrendered these weapons to the political authorities. Mr Anees said work on development schemes in rural areas of the agency was in progress and funds had been increased for development projects under the Annual Development Programme. He said the law and order situation in the agency was exemplary and denied the occurrence of terrorism, car theft and kidnapping for ransom.

Tribal elders Malik Doran Bacha Haleemzai, Malik Sahibdad Haleemzai, Malik Mehrban Shah, Malik Muhammad Ali Haleemzai, Malik Said Qahar Tarakzai, Malik Gul Rehman, Malik Sultan Baizai and Haji Ameer Gul said the new tribal generation needed pens and books, not weapons.

The tribal elders added that Taliban and Al Qaeda were not present in Mohmand Agency. Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah is expected to reach Mohmand Agency on Friday for a one day trip. —Staff Report

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