Operation against Baitullah ordered

ISLAMABAD - NWFP Governor Owais Ahmad Ghani Sunday said the government had finally decided to go all out against the chief of banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Baitullah Mehsud and his cronies and in this connection Army and other law-enforcement agencies were given free hand.
Addressing a Press conference, the governor said that the decision was taken keeping in view the growing Taliban attacks resulting in death of innocent people; its (TTP) collaboration with anti-state elements and their hobnobbing with the foreign terrorists to destabilise Pakistan. Owais claimed that the people of tribal areas were also fed up with the activities of Taliban. People wanted to see their areas clear of these miscreants who were defaming Pakistan and Islam in the name of Jehad and Islam, he said.

The provincial governor further said that the government had given them (Taliban) full chance of negotiation and advised the Mehsud tribes to ask the foreign terrorists to leave. Instead of doing this Tehrik-i-Taliban not only supported these miscreants but also indulged in the activities like suicide bombing at mosques and other state entities and attacks on the prominent personalities. They even went to the extent of kidnapping the students of Razmak Cadet College, he said.

The governor was of the view that TTP provided shelter to the anti-state elements and established training camps for suicide bombers and were spreading their nefarious agenda of destabilizing and defaming Pakistan. He said that the government had adopted restraint and warned them to shun anti-state activities and not become tool in the hands of country’s enemies but all these cautions fell on deaf ear. The government is now left with no choice but to launch a full-scale military operation to flush out these miscreants from tribal areas.