Peshawar -


The elders of Utmanzai and Ahmadzai tribes from North Waziristan Agency have demanded the government to end the US drone strikes in Fata and sort out a peaceful solution to the turbulent situations via holding negotiation with Taliban.
Addressing a news conference here at press club on Saturday, a tribal elder Malik Jalal from North Waziristan Agency said that tribal people were facing numerous difficulties owing to the wrong policies of the former rulers. He strongly condemned the US drone strikes in Fata and termed it against the sovereignty and integrity of the country. "In the US predators a large number of innocent tribal people, including women and children were killed while hundreds other injured during the last nine years," he added.
Flanked by other tribal elders from Ahmadzai and Utmanzai tribes, including Malik Gulbat Khan, Malik Gulshlam Khan, Malik Raes Khan, Jalal said the security forces carried out a number of military operations against its own people on the behest of US mentors in the tribal region.
He lamented that the peaceful tribal people were uprooted from their hometowns and compelled them to take shelters in the makeshift camps. "We are not terrorists," Mailk Gulbat Khan said and urged to treat them like other citizens of the country because they were also patriotic citizens of this state.
He also said that the US secret drone campaign was totally against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state that must be stopped. "The tribesmen did played a vital role and rendered sacrifices for the protection of frontier but despite that they were being treated discriminately," he added. He also claimed that thousands of innocent people were killed in the so-called war against terrorism.
Besides, Shah Muhammad, provincial legislator from Bannu recalled that the PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif also signed the JUI-F convened All Parties' Conference declaration, so now his (Nawaz) party-led federal government should materialise the declaration aimed to restore peace and prevent the US drones strikes in tribal areas. If the US drone strikes have been halted, he said about 90 per cent problems would be resolved automatically and peace would automatically be restored in the region, he maintained. He alleged that the present chaos was a retaliation due to the US unmanned planes attacks.
About the suspension of negotiation process by Talibans, he said that tribal elders would form a grand tribal Jirga to reactivate the talks for establishment of peace. The provincial legislator also assured that he will move a resolution in the provincial assembly against the US drone attacks. "Force is not solution to the tribal issue but need to adopt peaceful means for establishment of everlasting peace and stability in the entire region," said Malik Shalam Khan, an elder of Ahmadzai tribe. He said that if the US government had given preference to holding talks with Taliban, what could be wrong to follow same practice for peace in Pakistan?
The elders urged the PML-led federal government to take effective steps for establishment of peace and stoppage of US drone attacks in tribal region. They warned that the peace efforts would not be fruitful until end to US secret predators campaign in Fata.