ISLAMABAD, 9 January 2006 — The Pakistani Army yesterday extended a deadline for the handover of those who killed eight paramilitary soldiers in the North Waziristan tribal region.
The move followed failure to make any progress in talks with tribal leaders.
On Saturday, the army threatened to proceed against the Khasokhel tribe if they failed by yesterday afternoon to hand over militants who attacked a paramilitary post in the town of Mir Ali. More than a dozen paramilitary soldiers were reported missing after the ambush.
A tribal jirga attended by commanding officer, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Akram Sahi, unanimously agreed to meet again and discuss the issue on the fifth day of the Muslim festival expected Wednesday.
Locals said tribal chiefs agreed to hand over 10 members of the Khasokhel clan to authorities as a guarantee.
“We are ready to support the government (in the operation against militants) as we did in the past,” Mateen Shah, a lawmaker from North Waziristan, told officials.
Tribal members face arrests and demolition of their houses, if they fail to hand over the attackers or help authorities in the search for the militants. Under a special law, Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), implemented in Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous tribal regions, an entire tribe faces punishment if any of its members are found to be involved in crimes in its territory.
According to regional reports, businesses had come to a standstill in Mir Ali as a complete shut down was being observed there.
“There is nobody in the market. The situation is like curfew,” Ehsan Wazir, a local resident said.
Eight people including four women and children were killed when the residential compound of a Muslim cleric was attacked by US helicopters in Saidgi, North Waziristan near the Afghan border.
