Call to stop war in Pakhtun heartland
[17.Sep.2008 - 14:56]A Canada-based group has voiced grave concern at the increasing displacement of Pakhtuns due to the violence spreading across the Durand Line. Neither the Pakistani government nor the international community had provided support to more than 300,000 Pakhtuns internally displaced by military operations and militant activities. The Pakhtun Peace Forum said residents of Bajaur, Swat, Waziristan, Dara Adamkhel and elsewhere in the NWFP(Pakhtoonkhwa) were hard hit by the military offensive and rebel attacks. Amid reports that FATA had become a flash point between the US and Pakistani soldiers, the organisation said, the militants had been provided safe havens in the region. Using their hideouts, the guerrillas continued attacks inside Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Forum said, adding the innocent Pakhtuns were caught in the line of fire among the militants, Pakistan, US and NATO forces. The situation in FATA resembles that of Afghanistan before 9/11 where the Taliban and al-Qaeda had established themselves with the financial and military support from Pakistan, UAE and Saudi Arabia. The Pakhtun Peace Forum urged the UN, US, Canada, India, China and the international community to help bring peace to Afghanistan, FATA and the Pakhtoonkhwa. The international community including Canada was asked to provide shelter, food, immigration and refugee status to the war-displaced people. In a press statement, the group urged the world to pressure the Pakistani government into democratising and developing the long-ignored tribal region. It demanded of the government to extend the Political Parties Act to FATA, form independent legislative councils, abolish the notorious Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR), the malik system and give tribesmen representation in the Pakhtoonkhwa Assembly. Pakhtun Peace Forum - Khybernews
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