MIRANSHAH: The government and local tribesmen in Razmak subdivision on Saturday inked a peace agreement in which the tribal elders pledged they would not allow terrorists to live there? in future. Around 40 tribal elders from the Torikhel and Borakhel Wazir tribes inhabiting the scenic Razmak subdivision in North Waziristan signed the peace accord with Political Agent of North Waziristan Atifur Rahman. Under the agreement, the tribespeople would be responsible for maintaining peace and security in their territory. The elders promised ?they would not allow terrorists or anti-social elements to use their soil against the state or any government institution. The elders pledged they would demolish the houses of those tribespeople sheltering militants or providing them any assistance. They said those sheltering the militants would be expelled from the tribal region. The elders promised they would immediately inform the local administration if they noticed any suspicious activity in the area. Political Agent Atifur Rahman said the government would provide all facilities to the tribespeople. He told the elders the government would spend funds to strengthen education, health and other infrastructure in the area. It was not clear how the government ?felt the need to sign peace accord with the Wazir tribespeople in Razmak as the government didn’t conduct the much-publicised Zarb-e-Azb military offensive launched in some areas of North Waziristan on June 15, 2014. Besides some other areas in North Waziristan, the tribespeople of ?Razmak were exempted from displacement when the military operation was launched last year. It isn’t clear how many peace accords the government would ink with the people of other areas such as Mir Ali, Miranshah, Dattakhel and Spinwam. Perhaps the political agent didn’t know that the government in 2006 and 2007 had signed strong-worded peace accord with the tribesmen of North Waziristan but it neither helped restore peace in the tribal region ?nor prevented it from falling in the hands of militant organisations and the government finally had to use force to establish its writ.
