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Pakistani tribes allow military into the areas
The agreement to deploy troops in the Mohmand Agency, one of seven agencies that comprise the restive Federally Administered Tribal Areas, is being described by the government and observers as nothing short of a breakthrough. Last weekâs agreement between the federal government and local tribal chiefs in Mohmand allows forces to search for al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants in this region bordering the Kunar province of Afghanistan. I guess they will have to move to Peshawar now âWe are now in complete control of our border with Afghanistan,â Mohmand Agency chief administrator Sahibzada Muhammad Anees told TFT last week in Ghalanai, agency headquarters of the most underdeveloped and poverty-stricken tribal zone. Anees described the negotiations, âtiringâ. The move followed intense pressure from Washington to plug the last hole in ensuring US search operations against Osama bin Laden and former Afghan prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, launching attacks against the Americans. GHQ believes the Northern Alliance across the border is engaged in âserious Indian activitiesâ, in the words of a military expert. The Pakistanis supported the Taliban, and the Indians supported the Northern Allaince, and since the Tajiks are practically running Kabul, the Indians are said to have been moving in troops and spies to encircle Pakistan. The unprecedented co-operation follows the agreement reached between Islamabad and a 25-member jirga of Mohmand chieftains. âThe tribesmen do not refuse you if you assure them their culture and code of life will not be threatened,â Mr Anees told TFT, adding that tribesmen also felt the need for government-provided basic civic amenities and facilities. Baizai and Khoizai tribes were regarded as the most conservative of the tribes. Both finally opened their areas to government-initiated development schemes in October 2002 after six years of talks. The hermetic nature of the tribes was legendary: they viewed the wheel as a symbol of depravity. The ban on vehicles was lifted seven years ago with these areas seeing tractors for the first time. No comment. Posted by: Paul Moloney 2003-03-24 |
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