Military offensive not against tribals, says Pakistani minister

The military operation in northwest Pakistan is not against any tribal group but targets the Taliban led by Baitullah Mehsud, Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said, stressing that the government has not signed any peace deal with the militants.

He added that there is a need for cooperation between the federal and provincial governments to eliminate the menace of terrorism completely.

He said the militants could enter Punjab province from South Waziristan, a Taliban stronghold, where the security forces are making a final push against the group.

Malik made the remarks after visiting a hospital Friday to enquire into the condition of people who were injured in a blast the previous day, the Online News agency reported Saturday.

The minister said the government has beefed up security in the country to protect the life and property of people.

He said the suicide attacks and explosions by militants cannot deter the government's resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country.

The minister also confirmed reports that Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah has been seriously injured during fighting with the security forces in South Waziristan.

In a related development, Pakistan's Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has finalized a strategy in consultation with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to expedite operation Rah-e-Nijat against Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in South Waziristan.

Kayani said he briefed the leaders that the militants would not be allowed to flee the area.

He said the next two days will be crucial in the operation and the Pakistani Air Force is playing an important role to destroy the militants' hideouts.

On Thursday, the Pakistan Army moved additional troops to its South Waziristan border with Afghanistan to prevent the Afghan militants from entering the country in the wake of a major offensive by the US soldiers against the insurgents on the other side of the border.

The Online report said that the military operation in the Swat Valley in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) is in the final stage.

snb/jg

( 348 Words)

2009-07-04-13:35:52 (IANS)

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