Peshawar: Elders of the Mehsud tribe
today expressed their willingness to go back to their homes in
the restive South Waziristan region despite the Taliban
threatening them to not return until the government withdraws
all troops from the area.
The tribal elders said Mehsud tribesmen would return
to areas cleared of Taliban fighters during a military
operation.
They also pledged to extend full cooperation to the
government in maintaining peace and law and order in their
areas.
They gave the assurance to a grand jirga attended by
the Manzai, Balol Zai and Shamankhel Burki sub-tribes.
The jirga was held in Tank district, adjacent to
South Waziristan Agency.
The tribal council vowed not to allow militants to
return to areas inhabited by the Mehsud and to fight shoulder-
to-shoulder with the security forces against the rebels.
The government is committed to ensuring the safe and
dignified return of internally displaced people to Mehsud-
dominated areas of South Waziristan Agency and has completed
all arrangements to provide relief items to returning
families, Assistant Political Agent Azmat Jamal Khan told the
jirga.
Khan said the return of the displaced topped the
agenda of the government and the political administration had
re-established offices at Sarokai and Sararogha.
PTI
First Published: Monday, October 18, 2010, 21:16