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No Surrender as Pakistan Militant Deadline Passes
A Pakistani deadline for hundreds of foreign militants near the Afghan border to surrender to the authorities passed on Friday, but not a single person had come forward to give himself up, officials said. Pakistanâs army, pursuing al Qaeda militants and their allies in rugged tribal regions, gave foreign fighters until April 30 to surrender or face military action. But military spokesman Major-General Shaukat Sultan said the expiry of the deadline did not mean a military assault was imminent, and the government appears to want a political solution to avoid a repeat of last monthâs bloodshed in the tribal belt. "Launching of the operation has got no relationship with the deadline," Sultan said.Posted by: Paul Moloney 2004-05-01 |
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