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| India-Pakistan |
| Miranshah unrest spreading to other districts |
| 2006-03-12 |
| Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao told the National Assembly on Saturday that unrest in Miranshah had spread to surrounding districts. “These miscreants were continuously challenging the writ of the government, which forced us to take action,” Sherpao said. He said that the situation had affected the settled areas of Tank and Mir Ali, where local Taliban had forced the closure of video shops and were asking people not to shave. At least 120 security forces personnel and supporters of the government have been killed in North Waziristan Agency since March 1, NNI quoted the interior minister as saying. “Miscreants and the so-called Taliban occupied government buildings, including the telephone exchange in Miranshah, and ambushed various government and security agencies’ convoys during the first week of this month,” Sherpao told the house. Syed Nek Zaman, the member of the National Assembly (MNA) from the tribal region, had raised the issue of the military operation in the tribal areas, claiming that 500 civilians have been killed so far, NNI reported. Sherpao was quoted by Online as saying that the tribal people were allowed to carry small arms, but missiles, RPGs, rockets and landmines were not light arms. Opposition Leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman pledged complete cooperation from the opposition in the peaceful settlement of the Waziristan situation, but accused the government of non-cooperation. Rehman said that the government was not sincere in wanting to restore peace in the tribal areas, and the army had been deployed in the region to serve US interests. Sherpao welcomed his offer of cooperation, saying that he hoped the opposition would support government efforts for the restoration of peace. Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain expressed his displeasure at the government’s failure to produce Khawaja Saad Rafique in the house to attend the proceedings according to his directions. The opposition also protested the sacking of services of 2,700 employees of the Habib Bank Limited, and demanded that the government “stop terminating employees in the name of privatisation”. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |