Pak Islamic groups reject use of force in tribal area
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Islamabad, June 11, IRNA -- Pakistani Islamic groups on Friday condemned the military operation in the country`s tribal region along the border with Afghanistan and called for its immediate halt. "The government should order an immediate halt to the Wana operation and honor its agreement with the tribal elders instead of using force so that the military could be taken out from the difficult situation," the acting chief of the six-party alliance Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, said. Addressing a press conference, Qazi rejected Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat`s statements concerning the operation, and charged that the government wanted to tackle the situation through use of force instead of negotiations. Pakistani troops, backed by artillery and helicopters, Friday launched an assault on bases of "foreign" militants and their supporters in South Waziristan, killing several militants. In a statement, the army said it was targeting "known and confirmed hide-outs of miscreants." Qazi said the people in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) received nine bodies of paramilitary troops killed in the tribal operation "with anger" as "they do not want to give sacrifices in the so-called US-led war on terror." "The rulers should realize the situation as despite Pakistan being an ally in the war on terror, the US has declared India as its strategic partner." Qazi Hussain Ahmad said that the attackers of the corps commander of Karachi whose convoy was ambushed on Thursday were the same people who had been disturbed the law and order situation since 1985. He said that the terrorist group believed to be responsible is highly organized and has a strong intelligence network. "This group only wanted confrontation between the people and the army," the MMA parliamentary leader said. TK/TSH/2321/1432
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