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Musharraf Threatens Action on al-Qaida |
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Monday, June 07, 2004 |
 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP)--Amid signs of a military buildup, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf threatened to use force in tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan if economic pressure fails to persuade tribesmen to identify al-Qaida and Taliban militants.
Musharraf said in an interview Friday with Pakistan's ARY television that foreign militants had to be "eliminated" from Pakistan.
Pakistan last week imposed "economic sanctions"--blocking roads, shutting down shops and closing the main bazaar--in South Waziristan, a tribal area where militants have been active. The rugged region has been the focus of failed manhunts for al-Qaida members, including leader Osama bin Laden.
A military operation in March cost the lives of about 120 people, including about 50 troops. The setback led the government to change tack, encouraging tribesmen to get militants to register, lay down arms and stop fighting in exchange for being allowed to stay in Pakistan.
So far, no militant has accepted the offer. The government stepped up the pressure with the economic restrictions, and residents in South Waziristan report that more troops and equipment are being brought up to Wana, the capital.
"We have to move forward," Musharraf said. "If this fails, there is no doubt in my mind that the military is the answer. How the military will use force--leave that to the military."
Pakistan has deployed 70,000 troops along the rugged border with Afghanistan to prevent al-Qaida fighters and their ousted Taliban militia allies from entering or staging cross-border attacks against U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
Wana residents told The Associated Press by telephone that they have seen fresh deployments in areas where the army fought in March. One, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the army was bringing in light and heavy weapons and that military helicopters were patrolling.
Pakistan has asked the tribal elders to evict suspects from their areas. A 4,000-man tribal force was expected to some search villages near the Afghan border on Saturday to capture rebels. Such operations have regularly failed to turn up militants.
Tribal elders in recent days have said any foreigners in the area have moved to undisclosed locations. Pakistani officials are using their own sources to verify the claims.
Meanwhile, Musharraf urged India's new government to seek a compromise on the disputed territory of Kashmir and said that early contacts with Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had been "positive" toward the peace process.
Pakistan and India have two rounds of peace talks scheduled this month--a meeting on nuclear weapons June 19-20, and the first round of a peace dialogue June 27-28 to take up other disputes.
Musharraf said that "both countries realize" they cannot capture the rest of Kashmir, the Himalayan territory divided between them and the source of two of their three wars since 1947. Both sides claim the territory in its entirety.
"If we stick to our respective positions, the issue can never be resolved," Musharraf said. "Therefore, we have to move toward a compromise solution of the issue."
A separatist insurgency in the Indian-run portion has claimed 65,000 lives since 1989 and brought the countries to the brink of a fourth war after Islamic extremist militants waging the conflict attacked India's Parliament in late 2001.
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