Peshawar: Pakistani authorities on Saturday
asked the Mehsud tribe to unconditionally hand over 378 wanted
tribesmen, including local Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, to
the government.
The demand was reiterated by Shahab Ali Shah, the top
administrator of South Waziristan tribal region, during a
jirga of the Mehsud tribe held in Tank district.
The authorities presented four conditions to the jirga
for restoring peace in the restive region and sought their
implementation in letter and spirit by the Mehsud tribesmen.
The conditions are the unconditional surrender of the
378 wanted Mehsud tribesmen, total ban on the display of
weapons in the region, a ban on the setting up of a parallel
administration and courts and not sheltering foreigners,
non-Mehsuds and people from the settled areas of Pakistan.
The Mehsud tribal elders formed a 12-member committee
to look into the implementation of the government’s demands.
Hakimullah Mehsud was reportedly killed in a US drone
attack earlier this year, US and Pakistani officials have
said. However, the Taliban have claimed he is still alive.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, March 13, 2010, 19:11