Miramshah ‘Taliban’ office closed: govt
PESHAWAR, Sept 30: The Taliban office in Miramshah has been closed in line with the spirit of the peace accord, according to a government spokesman. He denied media reports about the Taliban office in North Waziristan and said that the move was aimed at ensuring implementing the ‘peace deal’.
According to media reports, local Taliban had opened an office in Miramshah, headquarters of the North Waziristan Agency, ‘creating an impression of running a parallel administration in the agency’. The Fata Secretariat’s spokesman clarified that the whole affair was based on ‘some misunderstanding’.
According to the spokesman, the office had been opened as an ‘internal arrangement’ to ensure implementation of the ‘peace accord’ between local tribesmen, religious leaders and the political administration.
He said that despite clarifications offered by tribesmen, the issue had been kept alive in the media.
Realising that the opening of the office was creating a negative impact, the office was closed down on Saturday in line with the spirit of the peace agreement.
“This measure of closing down the office proves that the tribesmen are fully committed to implement the peace accord in letter and spirit,” the spokesman said.
A pamphlet distributed by Taliban ‘informed’ people in Miramshah about the opening of their office there and announced that they would ‘settle disputes’ besides asking people to ‘shoot masked men to death’. “We will take full responsibility for such an action,” it said.