Pak asks Mehsud tribe to hand over 378 wanted tribesmen

Pakistani authorities asked the Mehsud tribe to unconditionally hand over 378 wanted tribesmen, including local Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, to the government.

Pakistani authorities on Saturday asked the Mehsud tribe to unconditionally hand over 378 wanted tribesmen, including local Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, to the government.

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The demand was reiterated by Shahab Ali Shah, the top administrator of South Waziristan tribal region, during a jirga of the Mehsud tribe held in Tank district.

The authorities presented four conditions to the jirga for restoring peace in the restive region and sought their implementation in letter and spirit by the Mehsud tribesmen.

The conditions are the unconditional surrender of the 378 wanted Mehsud tribesmen, total ban on the display of weapons in the region, a ban on the setting up of a parallel administration and courts and not sheltering foreigners, non-Mehsuds and people from the settled areas of Pakistan.

The Mehsud tribal elders formed a 12-member committee to look into the implementation of the government’s demands.

Hakimullah Mehsud was reportedly killed in a US drone attack earlier this year, US and Pakistani officials have said. However, the Taliban have claimed he is still alive.