Vicky19
5th March 2005, 22:10
Pakistani government wants to buy heavy weapons from tribesmen in a volatile region near the Afghan border where security forces are hunting al-Qaeda militants, an official said on Friday.
The offer to purchase missiles, rocket launchers and anti-aircraft guns is aimed at defusing tension in south Waziristan, an area where hundreds of militants hid after the US-led war in Afghanistan.
The government had offered market prices for arms, including machine guns and mortars, officials said. “The drive is at an initial stage but we are sure it will succeed,” said Khan Bukhsh, a senior official in Wana, the administrative headquarters of the semi-autonomous south Waziristan tribal region, about 400 km from Islamabad.
He met a delegation of the Mehsud tribe to persuade tribesmen to sell their weapons. Officials say the tribesmen promised to discuss the offer on March 10.
The offer to purchase missiles, rocket launchers and anti-aircraft guns is aimed at defusing tension in south Waziristan, an area where hundreds of militants hid after the US-led war in Afghanistan.
The government had offered market prices for arms, including machine guns and mortars, officials said. “The drive is at an initial stage but we are sure it will succeed,” said Khan Bukhsh, a senior official in Wana, the administrative headquarters of the semi-autonomous south Waziristan tribal region, about 400 km from Islamabad.
He met a delegation of the Mehsud tribe to persuade tribesmen to sell their weapons. Officials say the tribesmen promised to discuss the offer on March 10.