PESHAWAR: Militants in North Waziristan have announced a month-long unilateral ceasefire to allow a tribal jirga to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the security problems in the volatile tribal agency. Abdullah Farhad, who claims to be the spokesman for Taliban in North Waziristan, said on Sunday that the truce was temporary and the militants had the right to defend themselves if attacked. He demanded the return of security forces operating in the agency to their bases during the ceasefire period and that the forces leave the tribal area within the next month. Farhad also demanded abolishing all new check posts in the tribal areas and said that only the Khasadar force should be deployed at check posts established before the military operation. The Taliban spokesman also demanded the release of “all people” arrested by the authorities during the military operation and said the government should also revive incentives to tribal elders which were stopped because of the elders’ “non-cooperation”.
“We welcome the announcement made by the militants and the government will reciprocate accordingly,” NWFP Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Orakzai told reporters while commenting on the development. He said the grand tribal jirga would also consider the militants’ demands. Earlier on Saturday, Arbab Shahzad, a senior official at the Governor’s FATA Secretariat, had told Daily Times that the nation would hear good news regarding Waziristan shortly. However, Shahzad had refused to give details of the ‘good news’.