ISLAMABAD // Residents of Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal region, displaced in October 2009 by a military offensive against Taliban militants, have this week begun to trickle back to their homes, UN and Pakistani military officials said.
Pakistan's army chief, Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, said during a tour of the region that about 2,000 displaced families had returned to their homes since Saturday.
Their return, he said, was evidence that the security situation in South Waziristan was "under control".
The United Nations' refugee agency, UNHCR, said the resettlement was under way with 30 to 50 families returning daily to towns and villages in the Jandola and Tank areas under military escort.
Jandola and Tank are areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province that border the South Waziristan tribal "agency".
About 364,000 people were forced to flee South Waziristan and adjacent areas ahead of the 2009 military offensive.
However, experts on Pakistan's tribal areas said that military claims to have "cleared" the South Waziristan of militants were misleading, and could put returning residents at risk.
Ashraf Ali, the president of Fata Research Council, an Islamabad-based think tank, said: "The military's concept of 'clear' is to secure towns and major roads."
Fata, or federally administered tribal areas, is the official name for the seven tribal agencies bordering Afghanistan.
Mr Ali said Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants had altered their appearance to avoid being identified, but retained an ominous presence in mountainous areas of South Waziristan.
"They have issued three separate warnings, telling the displaced people not to return for their own safety. Those warnings ought be to taken seriously," Mr Ali said.
Analysts said the TTP had re-emerged in August, and resumed attacks on troops positioned in the mountainous areas populated by the Mehsud tribe, killing eight soldiers.
In November, the TTP extended its influence to the Wana area, forming an alliance with six commanders of the Wazir tribe.
Hakimullah Mehsud, the TTP chief, had shown political acumen by appointing Wali Mohammed as their head, the analysts said.
Mr Mohammed is admired as the son of Nek Mohammed, an Ahmedzai Wazir who founded the Pakistani Taliban. He was killed in 2004 in the first recorded United States drone strike on Pakistani territory.
The TTP had prepared the ground for Mr Mohammed by killing Maulvi Noor Mohammed, a highly respected cleric and former member of the federal parliament, in a suicide attack on his Wana seminary in August.
He had been instrumental in negotiations between the Pakistani authorities and militant commanders of the Wazir tribe.
In 2006, he had persuaded Maulvi Nazir, the dominant Ahmedzai Wazir commander, to expel Arab and Uzbek militants living in the area.
He also forced their hosts, other militant Wazir commanders, to flee after fighting in which 400 militants were killed.
Mr Nazir signed a peace agreement with the government prior to the launch of the military offensive in 2009, sparing the Wana area.
However, his dominant position has been undermined by the new TTP chief in Wana, Wali Mohammed, who has joined hands with the commanders expelled by Mr Nazir in 2006.
Mansur Khan Mehsud, an Islamabad-based researcher, said: "The killing of Maulvi Noor Mohammed was a major setback for Nazir, because the emergence of Wali Mohammed would mean the return of the Uzbek militants."
thussain@thenational.ae
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Match info:
Burnley 0
Manchester United 2
Lukaku (22', 44')
Red card: Marcus Rashford (Man United)
Man of the match: Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)
Full Party in the Park line-up
2pm – Andreah
3pm – Supernovas
4.30pm – The Boxtones
5.30pm – Lighthouse Family
7pm – Step On DJs
8pm – Richard Ashcroft
9.30pm – Chris Wright
10pm – Fatboy Slim
11pm – Hollaphonic
The biog
Name: Gul Raziq
From: Charsadda, Pakistan
Family: Wife and six children
Favourite holes at Al Ghazal: 15 and 8
Golf Handicap: 6
Childhood sport: cricket
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The biog
Marital status: Separated with two young daughters
Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo
Favourite book: That Is How They Defeat Despair by Salwa Aladian
Favourite Motto: Their happiness is your happiness
Goal: For Nefsy to become his legacy long after he is gon
Start times
5.55am: Wheelchair Marathon Elites
6am: Marathon Elites
7am: Marathon Masses
9am: 10Km Road Race
11am: 4Km Fun Run
UAE WARRIORS RESULTS
Featherweight
Azouz Anwar (EGY) beat Marcelo Pontes (BRA)
TKO round 2
Catchweight 90kg
Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) beat Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)
Split points decision
Welterweight
Gimbat Ismailov (RUS) beat Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR)
TKO round 1
Flyweight (women)
Lucie Bertaud (FRA) beat Kelig Pinson (BEL)
Unanimous points decision
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) beat Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)
TKO round 1
Catchweight 100kg
Marc Vleiger (NED) beat Mohamed Ali (EGY)
Rear neck choke round 1
Featherweight
James Bishop (NZ) beat Mark Valerio (PHI)
TKO round 2
Welterweight
Abdelghani Saber (EGY) beat Gerson Carvalho (BRA)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) beat Igor Litoshik (BLR)
Unanimous points decision
Bantamweight
Fabio Mello (BRA) beat Mark Alcoba (PHI)
Unanimous points decision
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magomedsultanov (RUS)
TKO round 1
Bantamweight
Trent Girdham (AUS) beat Jayson Margallo (PHI)
TKO round 3
Lightweight
Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) beat Roman Golovinov (UKR)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Steve Kennedy (AUS)
Submission round 2
Lightweight
Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)
TKO round 2
Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press
