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Waziristan Developments Include Prisoner Maltreatment
Another 16 persons arrested during the military operation in South Waziristan in March were released Thursday. Their release brought to 66 the number of persons freed .... The prisoners .... have all complained of maltreatment at the hands of the Frontier Corps (FC). Most of them said they had no complaint against the Pakistan Army soldiers who kept them in custody for two days before handing them over to the FC. Some of the freed men alleged that the FC personnel kept them in overcrowded cells and refused to provide them bedding and food. The prisoners claimed their hands and feet were tied and their eyes covered after being dumped in the prisons. The jirga elders urged foreigners to realise seriousness of the situation and get themselves registered with the government for living a peaceful life. They also disclosed that government was planning to set up a separate camp for foreign elements to reside there after proper scrutiny. .... the participants of jirga vowed that those foreigners who didnât comply with the law would be arrested and handed over to the government. Under a government amnesty deal, the Al-Qaeda-linked militants, mainly Chechens and Uzbeks with a scattering of Chinese and Arabs, had been given until April 30 to register or provide written guarantees from local tribal elders in exchange for freedom to remain in the remote northwest tribal belt. But the April 30 deadline will most likely be extended because of difficulties in persuading the militants to provide photographs for identification cards and registration, Brigadier Mahmood Shah said. Posted by: Mike Sylwester 2004-05-03 |
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