The Hindu : Pakistan readies for another operation in tribal area

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 15, 2004

International

International

Pakistan readies for another operation in tribal area

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, MARCH 14. Pakistan might be left with no option but to launch yet another big operation in a tribal area bordering Afghanistan as five key suspects wanted on charges of harbouring foreign militants have failed to surrender despite several warnings.

The five former Jihadis are believed to be helping foreign militants, thought to be about 500 or more that include Arabs, Chechens, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Uighur Chinese Muslims and Taliban.

Pakistani forces have been turning the heat on the suspects through tribal forces.

The issue has acquired an urgency as the U.S. launched a major offensive in southeastern mountains of Afghanistan in search of Al-Qaeda fugitives including Osama bin Laden.

The Musharraf regime has been under intense pressure from the Bush Administration to clean up the tribal areas so that the operation could succeed.

In the last one year or more, there have been several special operations by the Pakistani military and para-military forces in the areas which otherwise enjoy a high degree of autonomy.

In fact, it is for the first in the last 100 years that any outside forces have entered these areas.

The operations have been a source of tension for the Government with religious and even the mainstream political parties accusing it of working as per the American agenda.

The death of 11 civilians in crossfire between paramilitary forces and suspected militants has only added to the woes of the Government.

The Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, had announced that the Government would not hand over any of the foreign militants if they surrendered to the forces.

However, there were no takers for the offer. Part of the reason is lack of trust in the word of the Government.

Gen. Musharraf and his senior functionaries are on record that since 9/11 Pakistan has handed over 600-odd foreign militants to the United States. The reason cited is that the host countries were reluctant to take the militants back.

The current saga in Wazirstan Agency in the Frontier began some time ago with the Government asking the tribal chiefs to handover the five key suspects. On Saturday Zalikhel tribesmen, the tribe to which the five suspects belong, met at Azam Arsak expecting the wanted men to appear before them.

The tribesmen had on Thursday summoned the five suspects to turn themselves over to the jirga on Saturday. But the five men did not turn up.

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