Waziristan may be the centre of the Taliban-led militancy today, but travelling to this mountainous region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (formerly NWFP) or living in this part of the world, was even fraught with danger some 93 years ago, reveals a BBC report of April 21, 2008. According to the report, a young British army officer, Francis Stockdale, was deployed in 1919 in this particular area, which was an independent tribal territory until 1893, but some extremely determined tribal resistance and consequent rebellion had forced the British to undertake frequent punitive expeditions against the Muslim fighters between 1860 and 1945. Therefore, history leads us to assume that Waziristan has been an “Achilles’ heel” for anybody who has tried to dictate his terms here — be it an individual or an organized army. Captain Stockdale, who was later promoted as a major, had died in 1989 aged 93, but during the 1980s, his family had opted to publish a few copies of his book “Walk Warily in Waziristan,” which provides a candid account of the British soldier’s eventful experiences in this area that borders Afghanistan. The News.
Volunteer of Aman Lashkar, an anti-Taliban militia, was killed during a clash with local militants in Khyber Agency bordering Afghanistan. According to the media reports, the skirmish, which took place in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency’s Landi Kotal area, also left three Lashkar men and three insurgents injured. The Frontier Post.
An Army security personnel embraced martyrdom when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded in Ladha area of South Waziristan on Tuesday, Military sources told. After the success of operation Rah-e-Nijat against Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the South Waziristan in which over 80,000 tribal people displaced, Pakistan Army is leading the rehabilitation programme. Some 300,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) started returning to their homes and villages. The Frontier Post.
Two police constables were killed in an attack on Sabzimandi checkpost in the jurisdiction of Mandan police station here on Monday. Local residents said that armed motorcyclists opened fire on the Sabzimandi police checkpost on Dera-Bannu Road at 6:45pm killing constables Sharafat and Fakhar Zaman on the spot. The assailants managed to escape after the incident. Police later cordoned off the area and started a search operation. However, there was no report of any arrest till late night. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Dawn, The Frontier Post.
Attacks on the Nato containers continue as another container was damaged on Monday in a bomb explosion. The driver and the conductor of the container remained safe. According to the details, a remote controlled bomb exploded near Jamrud Bypass damaging the Nato container. Khasadar force cordoned off the area soon after the incident. Meanwhile, another remote controlled bomb exploded in Bhagiari area near Jamrud Bazaar however it missed the targeted Nato trailer. The Frontier Post, The News.
A member of the Zakahkhel peace lashkar known as Tauheedul Islam (TI) was killed and another two sustained injuries in an attack on the position of the banned Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) at Dari area of the Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency on Monday. The News.
Corps Commander Peshawar Lt General Khalid Rabbani said the Pakistan Army would not withdraw from the tribal areas till the elimination of the terror networks. Talking to elders of Mahsud and Bhittanitribes at the opening ceremony of the Jandola Bridge, he said a handful of anti-state elements were involved in fanning terrorism in the region and efforts were underway to eliminate them. He said the tribal people were the victims of militancy. The News.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the government created hurdles for the his peace march and lost opportunity to highlight the issue of drones. Speaking to media on Monday, Khan thanked his party workers for joining the PTI march despite rumors of terrorist attack. He said that PTI workers had joined the march from across the country.
He said that as many as 150 foreign media outlets covered the event despite being threatened by some elements. The Frontier Post, Daily Times, The News.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said here on Monday that if Imran Khan should engage in talks with the Tehrik-i-Taliban-i-Pakistan (TTP), the government would cooperate with him. A private TV channel quoted Kaira as saying that the government did not prevent Khan from going to South Waziristan but in fact, informed him of the law and order situation in the area.
He added that the international community had condemned drone attacks by the United States as illegal and that the Pakistani government had also opposed the drone attacks since day one. Moreover, he said that President Asif Ali Zardari had raised the question of drone attacks and the sacrifices made by Pakistan on a global forum. The Frontier Post.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti on Monday said his government would support Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan if he held dialogue with the leaders of banned militant outfits for peace. Inaugurating the Islamic Banking Branch of Bank of Khyber in Islamabad, Mr Hoti said Mr Imran was a leader of a political party and since there was a democratic government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, every political party, including Mr Imran’s PTI, had complete freedom to carry out healthy political activities in the province. Dawn.
More than 200 truckers have suspended supply of gods to Nato forces in Afghanistan after contractors in Karachi allegedly backtracked on their agreement regarding off-day payment to them. All Pakistan Oil Tankers Association secretary information Israr Ahmad Shinwari told Dawn that transport and logistic companies including Agility, Faisal, Water Link, Razzaq, Fleet Solutions and others in Karachi had agreed to pay all truckers Rs4,000 as day-off payment, 25 days a month, when Pakistan suspended supplies to Nato forces through its land routes after attack on Salala check post in November last year. Dawn.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has terminated services of its 16 employees in Bajaur Agency on charges of corruption and mismanagement. The action was taken against the workers on the complaints of tribal elders, an official of NRC told Dawn. He said that the terminated workers were involved in several cases of corruption. Dawn.
NAWAF KHAN, SHARAFAT ALI CHAUDHRY
