Islamabad: Pakistani authorities on Saturday sacked 350 personnel of a tribal militia in the Khyber Agency after they failed to report for duties following a threat from a militant commander in the region.
Banned Lashkar-e-Islam chief Mangal Bagh Afridi had warned personnel of the Khasadar force that they would be killed if they did not quit their jobs.
In a broadcast on his illegal FM radio station on Thursday, Afridi also warned men from the region that their homes would be destroyed if they joined the militia.
Tariq Hayat Khan, the political agent of the semi-autonomous tribal region bordering Afghanistan, today sacked 350 Khasadars for refusing to perform their duties in
Bara sub-division.
Khan said security personnel who had abandoned their positions had been given 24 hours to return to their duties. Those who had refused to heed the ultimatum were declared absconders and sacked from their jobs.
The Khasadar force is a disciplined organisation and anyone refusing to obey the orders of the government will face strict action, including removal from the job, he said.
Khan said new recruits will be inducted into the force to fill vacant posts.
The Frontier Corps recently launched an operation against militants in Khyber Agency after 22 Khasadar personnel were killed in a suicide attack on a check post in the region
on August 27.
Bureau Report
