Pakistan's military airdropped pamphlets this week over towns in restive tribal regions near the Afghan border urging tribesmen to shun “foreign terrorists”, saying they were part of a Hindu and Jewish plot. | Now that's the Pakistani military we've come to know and love. |
The pamphlets were dropped over Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, and Miranshah in North Waziristan as part of a campaign to win support among tribesmen who have shown sympathy for both Taliban and remnants of al Qaeda living among them.
A Reuters reporter in Tank, a town close to the boundary with the semi-autonomous tribal agency of South Waziristan, obtained one of the pamphlets, bearing the sign-off “Well Wishers, Pakistan's Armed Forces”. Titled “Warning”, the pamphlets said the foreign militants were fighting against Pakistan in connivance with “Jews and Hindus”, a term that would play on traditional prejudices among the region's Muslim conservatives.
“They (foreign militants) not only pose a danger to our sovereignty, but are also creating troubles for our people,” read the pamphlet, which appeared in both Urdu and Pashto language versions. “You should stay clear of these terrorists. Don't let them come close to your areas and houses and protect your land against them.” “This war is against foreign terrorists and their harbourers who are fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with Jews and Hindus against the state of Pakistan,” it added.
Military spokesman Major-General Shaukat Sultan said he could not confirm that pamphlets were sponsored by the military, although residents say they saw military aircraft scattering the pamphlets over their neighbourhoods. The allusion to Hindus and Jews, otherwise, appears at odds with the trend in Pakistani foreign policy. | Not if you've been paying attention. Remember, watch the hands, not the mouth. |
President Pervez Musharraf has been seeking peace with India for the past two years and last year opened diplomatic channels, though not full relations, with Israel.
Remnants of al Qaeda and the Taliban -- including Arabs, Central Asians, Chechens and Afghans -- settled in Waziristan and other border areas after being ousted from Afghanistan by U.S.-led forces in late 2001. Pakistan's army has deployed in South and North Waziristan since late 2003 in an effort to root out foreign militants, but ran into fierce resistance from tribesmen who resent the army's intrusion into their lands. Up to 20 militants were killed in clashes early on Friday in the North Waziristan tribal region after a rocket attack on a military post killed one soldier and wounded two others.
Earlier this month around 200 tribesmen were killed in clashes with the army in North Waziristan after a call to arms by militant clerics.
Pakistan has captured or killed hundreds of al Qaeda members since Musharraf joined a U.S.-led war on terrorism after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is widely believed to be hiding somewhere in Pakistan along with his deputy Ayman al-Zawahri. |
