No army in Waziristan if tribals behave: Kayani
June 24th, 2011 - 6:19 pm ICT by IANS
Islamabad, June 24 (IANS) The Pakistani Army will withdraw from Waziristan if the tribal residents behave responsibly and act against foreign terrorists, said Army chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, according to a media report Friday.
Addressing a gathering of Ahmedzai Wazir elders in Wana, capital city of South Waziristan, where he inaugurated a military cadet college, Gen Kayani said the presence of the army in the area was not only to carry out anti-terrorist operations, but also to facilitate development, reported the Urdu daily Jang.
During his trip Thursday, Gen Kayani also toured the area and inspected various development projects, included a model village, a government high school and a new market complex, being implemented under the army’s supervision. He also laid the foundation stone of the Waziristan Institute of Technology.
The army chief also took stock of ongoing work on the 220-km road from Wana to the Angoor Adda border crossing on the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier.
He said the proposed road, being constructed by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), would not only enable easier distribution of supplies in the area, but prove a convenient link with Afghanistan and enable trade opportunities for the local tribesmen.
The mountainous Waziristan area in northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan, is home to hundreds of Al Qaeda and Taliban militants. The US has been pressuring Pakistan Army to act against the terrorists sheltering in North Waziristan like its earlier operation in South Waziristan. Pakistan, however, has been resisting, saying it will itself decide when to carry out any operation in the area.
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- Tribal elders asked to expel Pak Taliban living as IDPs - May 12, 2010
- Three dead in Pakistan drone strike - Sep 30, 2011
- Pakistan lodges strong protest with US over Angoor Adda drone attack - Apr 14, 2011
- Afghan forces attack Pak check post in South Waziristan - Apr 27, 2011
- U.S. drone strikes kill 6 suspected militants in Pakistan - Apr 13, 2011
- Shun violence or quit: Waziristan clerics to foreign terrorists - Jun 21, 2011
- Pak Taliban releases 23 tribesmen it abducted for meeting army chief - Jan 01, 2011
- Terrorists launch rocket attacks in South Waziristan following Kayani visit, no casualties - Dec 07, 2010
- Huge Pakistan rally demands halt to US drone strikes - Oct 28, 2011
- Kayani vows to protect Pak tribesmen against all internal and external threats - Apr 15, 2011
- Pakistan to NATO: Take us into confidence on Afghan operations - Feb 04, 2010
- No foreign troops allowed to conduct ground operation in Pakistan: Athar Abbas - Dec 31, 2010
- Pakistan urging 'friends' to pressurise US to end drone attacks: Gilani - Apr 14, 2011
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