Exaggerated claims: K-P governor plays down Mir Ali exodus fears

Urges tribesmen not to leave their homes; reiterates ‘sincerity’ of Nawaz Sharif in pursuing peace talks.

ISLAMABAD:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shaukatullah Khan on Thursday played down fears of an exodus from North Waziristan ahead of an anticipated military operation in the region.

The situation is not as dire as it is made out to be, according to him. “No one has been displaced and some people who have houses in Bannu have sent their children there,” he said.

“We told them there is no need to leave their homes,” the governor told The Express Tribune, speaking following a conference on ‘Peace and Reconciliation in Afghanistan’.



Tribesmen claim that as many as 15,000 families have been displaced from the area, with a majority of them renting houses in Bannu and other cities, including Peshawar.

However, anti-drone campaigner and Mir Ali resident, Karim Khan, estimated that ‘about 50,000 people have left Mir Ali and other areas’.

Last week tribesmen said thousands of people fled their homes in Mir Ali after security forces launched strikes on what they said were militant hideouts.

Locals complained that they were not given sufficient warning before the strikes in order to move to safe places. Karim Khan says the air strikes also forced his family to flee.

Support for talks

Governor Shaukatullah said talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) will be fruitful, adding that “the prime minister has offered dialogue and formed a committee – which is proof of his sincerity”.



Asked about the ambit of the committee’s powers and their ability to succeed where others have failed, the governor reiterated, “Whenever the prime minister speaks on any issues or when he makes decisions, he should be trusted.”

He also dispelled the notion of a military operation in North Waziristan, saying ‘we want a solution to this problem through negotiations’.

When questioned as to why it took the prime minister a significant period of time to announce measures to pursue talks, the governor admitted, “It would have been better if it was dealt with urgently.” The governor said he was taken into confidence on the talks.

Spillover effect

Addressing the conference’s concluding session earlier, the governor lauded the prime minister’s announcement in the National Assembly on Wednesday and said he hoped the reconciliation process will be taken forward in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He added that at various junctures, a resolution to issues in Afghanistan seemed possible only to be overshadowed by violence, saying that talks and agreements conducted from Geneva to Pakistan had not move the issue forward.

Commenting that while 2014 is the year of elections and a drawback of Nato troops in Afghanistan, it could also be the year of restoration of peace in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2014.