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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (46353)	5/29/2004 6:56:58 PM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50167

War in our wild west is about to start..<Military helicopters and jets planes hovered over Shakai the whole day on Saturday, sending a wave of terror among the locals. expecting yet another major military operation against foreigners and their local protectors.> Another operation in Wana imminent 12 tribal chiefs arrested, businesses closed By our correspondent WANA: In a visible move towards another operation in the remote tribal agency of South Waziristan, the political administration arrested a dozen chieftains of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe and closed businesses of the tribesmen on Saturday. The step comes following the failure of the tribesmen to arrest or secure registration of foreign militants allegedly staying in the agency. Supply of all kinds of foodstuff and daily use commodities has been stopped to the agency from Jandola. Twelve chieftains of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe were arrested and dozens of tribesmen’s vehicles were impounded at Jandola and Dera Ismail Khan. Military helicopters and jets planes hovered over Shakai the whole day on Saturday, sending a wave of terror among the locals. expecting yet another major military operation against foreigners and their local protectors. The action came in the wake of Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah’s visit to the agency and his address to a tribal Jirga on Friday wherein he said the tribal Lashkar had failed and that Nek Muhammad and his colleagues were not cooperating with the government on the registration issue. The arrested elders included Malik Kahnzada, Malik Sarwar Khan, Malik Faizullah, Malik Zangi Khan, Malik Anwar Khan, Malik Noor Ali, Malik Zorullah Khan, Malik Abdullah, Malik Atlas Khan, Malik Nadar Khan, Malik Said Rehman and Malik Baz Muhammad. The Maliks were arrested when they were called for a meeting with the Political Agent, Asmatulah Khan Gandapur, while arrest warrants of another two tribal elders, Malik Bostan Khan and Malik Sadiq Khan, have also been issued. People fear that the Army might launch another search operation against foreign nationals, which might involve air power this time. Our Peshawar bureau adds: Meanwhile, presiding over a high-level meeting at the Governor’s House, NWFP Governor Lt-Gen (retd) Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah expressed concern over the increasing phenomena of de facto tribal areas and stressed on the law-enforcement agencies to chalk out a strategy to check this situation. The governor said in fact the increasing trend of creating de facto tribal areas was not a positive process and there was a dire need to control it. The meeting beside others was attended by provincial Chief Secretary Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi, Home Secretary Abdul Karim Qasuriya, Secretary Security Fata Brig (retd) Mahmood Shah, Secretary to Governor Sahibzada Saeed Ahmad; Inspector-General Police Rifaat Pasha, Commandant of the Frontier Constabulary Israr Ahmad Shinwari, and Political Agent Mohmand Agency Sahibzada Muhammad Anees. The governor while urging the need of effective role of the law- enforcement agencies, especially the police and the Frontier Constabulary, said that besides strengthening of institutions we must also have to ensure establishment of their principled role as well. He also stressed the need for strengthening the traditional posts of FC established between Fata and settled areas and making them more effective. Referring to a point raised in the meeting, the governor assured his fullest cooperation to further strengthen the police and the Frontier Constabulary to enable them play their due role in ensuring a peaceful atmosphere between Fata and the settled areas. A committee headed by Abdul Karim Qasuriya, secretary home and comprising Secretary Security Fata Brig (retd) Mahmood Shah, IGP Rifaat Pasha and Commandant of the Frontier Constabulary Israr Shinwari was also constituted not only to pinpoint the major problems of the forces but also to suggest ways and means for their solution. AP adds: "We began this operation today,’’ said Brig Mahmood Shah, referring to the detentions. "If it does not achieve the required results, the option of using force is there." Mahmood told The Associated Press if the current round of detentions "does not achieve the required results, the option of using force is there." He did not say when. "The government gave them deadlines repeatedly," he said. "The government displayed flexibility but they failed to fulfil their commitments. This operation will continue until the tribesmen fulfil all the conditions for registering the foreigners." An Ahmedzai elder, Mir Zalam Khan, said the tribe has been informed by authorities that all shops in the Wana bazaar will be torn down "because they say there are terrorists and people there who are wanted for sheltering terrorists."