Tribal leaders sign peace pact with Pakistan

The deal has come after Pakistani military operations failed to catch al-Qaeda’s top leaders or prevent Taliban militants fighting in Afghanistan from finding sanctuary in the border region.

President General Pervez Musharraf has sought accords across the semiautonomous region after a series of bloody military operations failed to catch al-Qaeda’s top leadership or prevent Taliban militants fighting in Afghanistan from finding sanctuary there.

Malik Abdul Aziz, the head of Bajur’s tribal council, said the latest agreement was signed during a ceremony on Monday attended by about 700 tribal elders and government officials near the main town of Khar.

“After hectic efforts and talks with the local Taliban, we have signed a peace deal with the government to help it fight terrorism,” said Aziz. “Local Taliban have assured us that they will not shelter foreign militants in their areas, and they are also part of a written agreement.”

Pakistanis routinely refer to tribal militants, who are suspected of aiding their ethnic Pashtun brethren fighting in Afghanistan, as”local Taliban”.

In return, the government will expedite development work in the region, Aziz said. Shakil Qadir Khan, the top government administrator in Bajur, confirmed the deal.

Shakil Qadir Khan, the top government administrator in Bajur, confirmed the agreement, but provided no details.

Military and government officials in the capital, Islamabad, were not immediately available for comment on Tuesday.

Musharraf, a key ally of the US in its war on terror, says the deals will empower tribal elders to counter militancy in their territory and open the way for a massive development programme designed to counter the poverty that leaves the region’s young men vulnerable to extremism.

However, critics argue the government’s military pullback has handed even greater control to militants, and US military officials worry that cross-border attacks into Afghanistan are rising as a result.

Bajur has seen much fewer attacks on Pakistani forces than the Waziristan region further south, where the government struck peace deals with tribal leaders in 2005 and 2006.

Aziz said local militants have assured they would not allow any foreigners to use their soil for attacks against Pakistani troops or coalition forces across the border. “I am confident that yesterday’s deal will go a long way in restoring peace here,” he said.