Panic in North Waziristan : K-P minister quashes ‘rumours’ of operation

Mian Iftikhar Hussain says a military offensive would have repercussions.

PESHAWAR:

Amidst reports of mass exodus from the North Waziristan tribal region, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government on Monday reassured local tribesmen that no military operation was in the works.

A military offensive in the Waziristan region would have repercussions – especially for K-P which would have to shoulder the responsibility of looking after the displaced tribesmen, according to the provincial information minister.

“We have no information about plans for an operation in North Waziristan Agency,” Mian Iftikhar Hussain told a news briefing after a provincial cabinet meeting in Peshawar. Had there been any plans, the provincial government would have been in the loop.

Mian Iftikhar said he has been informed about a mass exodus of tribesmen from the Waziristan region due to fears of an imminent military operation.

He said the ANP-led government wanted to resolve disputes with militants through dialogue. “If talks fail, then targeted action should be taken against militants, rather than launching a full-scale operation,” he added.

Political Agent of North Waziristan Siraj Ahmad Khan also sought to quash rumours of a military operation in the region. He asked local tribesmen not to heed “baseless reports” which were aimed at creating panic among them.

Cross-border raids

Discussing cross-border raids, Mian Iftikhar lashed out at US-led Nato troops for not fulfilling their responsibilities in the region.

“Nato troops in Afghanistan should curb these militants … it can’t be tolerated anymore,” he said, adding that cross-border raids were carried out by militants who had fled military operations in tribal regions and parts of K-P to find safe havens in Afghanistan.

Washington has long demanded that Pakistan take action against the Haqqani network, whom the United States accuses of using North Waziristan as a springboard for launching attacks against coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has in turn demanded that Afghan and US forces do more to stop Pakistani Taliban crossing the Afghan border to launch attacks on its forces.

“They have come under a peace agreement to this region and they should fulfill their responsibilities,” said Mian Iftikhar, while expressing his anguish over recent cross-border incursions in Bajaur Agency and parts of K-P.

Talking about the law and order situation in the province, the minister said the number of terrorist incidents in the province had decreased compared to previous years, according to report presented by a police official during the cabinet meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2012.