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| Militants end S Waziristan peace deal |
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Sunday, August 19, 2007
Sailab Mahsud & Mushtaq Yusufzai
TANK/PESHAWAR: As a tribal Jirga is set to secure the release of 15 kidnapped FC soldiers from the captivity of militants today (Sunday), tribal militants of South Waziristan on Saturday unilaterally announced the scrapping of a peace accord with the government over allegations of its violation by the latter.
A spokesman for the Baitullah Mahsud group while accusing the government of violating the agreement signed with the Mahsud tribal militants in February 2005 in South Waziristan said the accord no more existed following the recent operations by the Pakistan Army in the agency.
Zulfiqar Mahsud, who introduced himself as a spokesman for Baitullah Mahsud, commander of the Mahsud tribal militants, phoned the office of The News and other media organisations from an undisclosed location that it was in fact the government that violated the peace agreement by sending troops in such large numbers to the agency and conducting military operations there without any need.
He said they had already brought the issue of reinforcing the forces at various places in the Mahsud inhabited areas to the notice of military officials as well as the 21-member peace committee that had helped broker the 2005 truce but nobody paid any heed to their reservations.
Tribal militants in the neighbouring North Waziristan Agency have already scrapped the peace agreement with the government over similar allegations.
Baitullah Mahsud, who was one of the most wanted tribal militants in South Waziristan, had signed the peace agreement with the government in 2005 in the presence of a tribal Jirga to resolve disputes with the government in Mahsud-inhabited areas.
A 21-member Jirga led by leading religious scholar Maulana Ainullah, which also comprised 11 Mahsud tribal elders and 10 ulema (religious leaders), had brokered the peace deal.
However, Senator Maulana Saleh Shah, who belongs to Maulana Fazlur Rahman’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, declined reports that Baitullah Mahsud and his men had scrapped the peace agreement.
“I just spoke to Baitullah and then his spokesman and both explained that they had not scrapped the peace agreement yet. They said it was actually the government that violated the peace agreement and carried out unnecessary military operations at Chag Malai, Sarwakai and Spinkai Raghzai areas of South Waziristan tribal agency,” Maulana Saleh Shah said when approached by The News over telephone at his home in Gomal area near Tank.
He said Baitullah Mahsud and his men were still standing by the peace agreement. “I met Baitullah two days ago at Chag Malai and he explained that he would never fight the Pakistan Army but it was the army that imposed a war on them,” he said.
Saleh Shah felt that situation in the agency deteriorated two days ago when his suggestion to Brig Hanif, Pakistan Army commandant in Wana, that an army convoy should not travel on the Wana-Jandola road for security reasons was turned down. “I assured him of my full cooperation and explained to him that there would be no danger if the military officials delay the convoy for a day or two. But they did not listen to my advice and as usual ordered the convoy to leave Wana for Tank. The convoy came under the attack of militants at Chag Malai in which several innocent Jawans lost their lives and many sustained serious injuries,” the senator said.
Meanwhile, some of the 21-member peace committee representatives, who again held decisive talks with Baitullah Mahsud and Qari Hussain somewhere at Chag Malai area on Saturday, hoped to secure the release of 15 paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) soldiers from the captivity of the militants probably today (Sunday).
While commenting on the issue, Senator Saleh Shah said he was in contact with representatives of the 21-member peace committee that had gone to Chag Malai to hold talks with the militants for the release of FC men and hoped that they would soon be handed over to them.
He said Baitullah Mahsud and Qari Hussain were ready to hand the hostages over to him a few days ago but the situation suddenly turned violent there due to the military operation in the area.
He said about 11 vehicles of the army convoy still remained stranded at Chag Malai while four bodies and 11 injured army soldiers were retrieved from the area on Saturday through efforts of the tribal elders and Ulema.
Meanwhile, Commander Masoodur Rahman Mahsud, successor of the slain commander Abdullah Mahsud, held a meeting with Mulla Nazeer, commander of the Wazir tribal militants, and regretted the detention of Wazir tribe people and seizing their vehicles at Dargai area near Wana a few days ago.
Sources close to Mulla Nazeer told The News that Commander Mahsud promised to send a Jirga to seek pardon from the Wazir tribe over what had happened a few days ago.
Also, all the 14 vehicles which the Mahsud men had snatched were returned to their owners.
According to sources, Mulla Nazeer sent his representative to army officials based in Wana to explain that the Wazir tribal militants would not allow the army to target hideouts of Mahsud tribal militants from their soil following the meeting.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
