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Pakistan to Give Amnesty to 5 Tribesmen
Pakistan has agreed to an amnesty for five renegade tribesmen accused of sheltering al-Qaida fugitives in return for their promise not to work against Pakistan's interests, a lawmaker said Friday.
| Looks like a total cave-in to me... |
Addressing a gathering of tribesmen in Wana, a town near the Afghan border, Maulana Abdul Malik, a member of Parliament's lower house, said the pardon for the five men would be announced by government and military officials on Saturday. The men were to formally surrender on Saturday at a jirga, or tribal council, in the village of Shakai, 15 miles north of Wana, he said. "They will announce that they will not work against Pakistan, and in return, they will be given amnesty by the government," said Malik, a lawmaker for a hardline religious coalition that has opposed the military's deployment in the region. He would not give any other details.
| Didn't have to. Eventually we'll end up having to go in and clean the bastards out... |
On Thursday, Brig. Mahmood Shah, chief of security for Pakistan tribal regions, said the men agreed to surrender after meeting with Malik and another lawmaker this week. He said the tribesmen would have to guarantee that they will not allow foreign terrorists to use their territory to enter Afghanistan, where al-Qaida and Taliban rebels often launch attacks against the U.S.-backed government and U.S. forces. He could not immediately be reached for comment Friday. The five powerful tribesmen, whose surrender has been sought by the government for months, are Naik Mohammed, Noor Islam, Maulvi Abbas Khan, Maulvi Abdul Aziz and Sharif Khan.
Posted by: Fred 2004-04-24 |
