Amnesty scheme: 26 rebels surrender in Naushki

QUETTA:

At least 26 rebel fighters surrendered to the authorities in Naushki district on Monday, giving up their weapons and agreeing to join the national mainstream.

Their move was made within the ambit of the government’s amnesty scheme,

In a ceremony at the Frontier Corps Headquarters in the district, rebel commanders handed over their weapons to the district administration and security forces, abandoning their shelters in the mountain. They also showed an interest in joining mainstream politics.

Sixteen of the 26 rebels, a government official said, belong to Naushki, while the 10 others hail from Kharan.

While addressing the handover ceremony, Kharan MPA Karim Nousherwani said that “Balochistan has been in the grip of a severe insurgency for the last decade.”

“Elements sitting abroad were trying to incite Baloch youth against Pakistan, but the people of Balochistan have rejected them.”

In exchange for giving up their arms and ending the war, guerilla commanders will be given lucrative sums of money.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th,  2015.