ISLAMABAD, 11 September 2006 — Suspected rebels killed a tribal leader in northwestern Pakistan yesterday, an intelligence official said, in the latest attack against a tribesman suspected of collaboration with authorities in the hunt for insurgents.
Malik Dalai was killed in a drive-by shooting near Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, a tribal region bordering Afghanistan, the area intelligence official said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information.
Dalai, in his 40s, was walking home from a bazaar in Wana when attackers, wearing masks opened fire from assault rifles from a moving car, killing him instantly. No one claimed responsibility for the attack and the gunmen fled.
But the intelligence official said he suspected militants because Dalai was a government supporter and backed efforts by authorities to eliminate militants operating in the area. Militants from Arab and Central Asian countries — allegedly linked with Al-Qaeda — as well as local tribesmen suspected of links with Afghanistan’s ousted Taleban militia, operate in Waziristan. Scores of people have been killed in recent years in the area over suspicions that they collaborated with authorities in the hunt for militants.
On Saturday, the bullet-ridden body of a 70-year-old tribesman was found near Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan. A letter was found near the body that said the man had allegedly confessed to spying for Americans.
15 Injured in Quetta
A cycle-bomb exploded near a restaurant in the city of Quetta yesterday, wounding at least 15 people, police said.
“The blast occurred when people were busy taking breakfast at the restaurant,” said Qazi Wahid, a senior police official at Quetta, the capital of gas-rich Balochistan province.
Nobody claimed responsibility but authorities have suspected insurgents fighting for greater autonomy and a bigger share of profits from the province’s resources for previous such incidents. Tension in the province has been high since the killing of a veteran Baloch nationalist leader, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, in a government offensive on Aug 26.
Opposition Holds Rally
Despite the government’s efforts to block an anti-government rally, thousands of people converged at the Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore yesterday to vent their anger over the killing of Akbar Bugti. Leaders of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy addressed the gathering calling on the government to resign and pave way for an interim government to ensure transparent election and smooth transfer of power.
Those who spoke included Imran Khan, Tehmina Daultana of PML (N), Pir Sabir Shah of PML (N), Dr. Hayee Baloch of BNM, Yaqub Nasir of PML (N), Mustafa Khar of PPP, Syeda Abida Hussain, Aitzaz Ahsan and others.
