SHABQADAR (Rantburg News Service):  Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Saturday denied the presence of Taliban in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), as four Khasadar force personnel were wounded in an ambush. “There are no Taliban in the tribal areas. Really. It is only propaganda. Trust me on this,” he told reporters at Shabqadar Fort in Charsadda district, after inaugurating the Frontier Constabulary Foundation School.But he conceded that whatever was happening in the tribal areas was due to the involvement of “external hands” who wanted to disturb peace along Pakistan’s western border. “Foreign elements are involved,” he said. "We have had reports of large men, wearing lava-lavas, running around our beloved countryside, terrorizing honest tribesmen. We suspect there is a conspiracy afoot, and we have summoned the Samoan ambassador for an explanation." The interior minister also said that the Pakistan Army was not playing a direct role in the ongoing operation against terrorists. “The army is just assisting the paramilitary and Khasadar force and there is no proposal to deploy regular soldiers in the tribal region,” he said. "All is well. There is nothing to see here. Move along. We are committed to flushing out foreign terrorists from the tribal areas and the government will not hesitate from any action to meet that goal. But neither do we want any trouble... Yes. Those are my lips. May I have them back, please?" |