2007 peace treaty to remain intact: Mullah Nazir group

The treaty appeared in danger following the Wana operation.

DERA ISMAIL KHAN/ PESHAWAR:

Even as security forces pressed ahead with the operation against militants in Wana (South Waziristan) on Sunday, a senior commander of the Mullah Nazir group said that the ‘peace treaty’ they had entered with the authorities in 2007 will stay intact.

The forces killed some 40 militants on Saturday – the first day of the operation – mostly those who had returned to South Waziristan under a deal with the Mullah Nazir group.

Six children were reported injured in the ongoing operation on Sunday.

An Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said that 35-40 militants were killed in the operation with the help of Mehsud and Wazir tribesmen. Some of the militants were behind attacking security personnel in Balochistan.

In separate incidents across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Khyber agency, a tribal elder was shot dead, two children died in a bomb blast, while a telecom tower was blown up. Moreover, three people went missing in Tank.

Hospital staff told The Express Tribune that the children who suffered injuries were Sajad Khan, Sikandar Khan, Aeysha, Surayya, Ana Adil and Nawal Khan.

An Afghan citizen named Gulab Khan was also killed in the crossfire. A tribal elder told The Express Tribune that Khan was travelling in his car when a shell hit the vehicle.

The local Ahmadzai tribe fears that the 2007 peace agreement between the government and the group might collapse.

Local sources told The Express Tribune that a few months ago Mullah Nazir signed a secret agreement with Maulvi Abbas, Noor Islam and Javed of Amarzai tribe allowing them to reside in Wana.

The ISPR statement said that militants were using women and children as a shield. Four security personnel lost their lives in the almost eight-hour operation as forces attempted to minimise collateral damage.

Tribal elder shot dead

A tribal elder of Mohmand Agency was killed along with three of his family members on Sunday morning in the Shero Jangi area.

Malik Jan Muhammad, a ‘Gur’ dealer, was going to his office located in Gur Mandi early morning when his vehicle was ambushed by armed men, police said.

“Of the five people in the car, four died on the spot and one sustained serious injuries, while the attackers escaped the scene,” stated Deputy Superintendent of Police-Rural Riazul Islam while talking to The Express Tribune.

The deceased included Akhtar Munir, Ikram and Jehanzeb while the injured man was identified as Shehzad.

Muhammad was a businessman and an activist of Jamaat-e-Islami.

Two children die in blast

An explosive device went off in Dargai tehsil of Malakand on Sunday, killing two children and injuring one person.

“The cause of the incident was the explosives used for mining in the area,” a resident said. He said such blasts are common in the area as people keep explosive material at homes and also use them in the mountains.

Telecom tower blown up

A general store and a telecommunication tower of a cellular company were blown up in Shabqadar, police said. The blast occurred at grocery store in Aisha Kor village but there was no fatality,” said a policeman.

3 persons missing in Tank

In Tank, gunmen kidnapped a man from his home after injuring his father.

Ghulam Ghani told Cantonment Police that he sustained injuries as the gunmen stormed his house early in the morning and also kidnapped his son Mukhtar Khan Bittani.

(With additional reporting by our correspondents in DARGAI/TANK/SHABQADAR)

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2012.