TNSM chief, 30 followers jailed

[MohammedA]

TNSM chief, 30 followers jailed

By Behroz Khan

PESHAWAR: Chief of Tanzeem Nifaz Shariat-i-Muhammadi (TNSM) Malakand, Maulana Sufi Muhammad and his 30 followers, including his son, were sentenced to three years imprisonment by Political Authorities in Kurram Agency on charges of entering Pakistan along with heavy weapons and sent to Jail on Wednesday.

"We have lodged Maulana Sufi Muhammad and his 30 companions in the prison, after they were sentenced to three-year jail term each by Political Agent Kurram Agency under section 40 of the Frontier Crimes Regulations", confirmed Superintendent Dera Ismail Khan Jail.

Maulana Sufi, his son Ziauddin and 29 other activists of TNSM were arrested at Shorki area of Kurram Agency by Political Authorities on November 19 for entering into Pakistan from Afghanistan along with heavy weapons, which they refused to surrender while coming home.

Earlier, Maulana and his armed followers had stranded on the Pak-Afghan border on Afghanistan territory for two days to get clearance from the Pakistani officials to cross into the country. But the authorities were reluctant to allow him entry along with prohibited bore weapons and ammunition including rocket launchers and heavy machineguns.

Maulana crossed into Afghanistan early this month at the head of an estimated 10,000 armed tribesmen to wage jihad against the US and its allied forces. He went ahead with his plans defying Taliban requests not to send his people for Jihad

Most of Maulana's followers returned from Afghanistan without firing a single shot at the enemy while a number of them were reported to have either been killed or are arrested by the Northern Alliance forces in Mazar-i-Sharif and other parts of northern Afghanistan. A number of them are believed to have been stranded in Kunduz. More than 2,000 Pushtun tribesmen, part of Sufi Muhammad's jihadi caravan, are still missing.

"We have also received a fax message from the administration of Malakand division along with a long list of other sections to frame charges of instigating public, killings of people and personnel of law enforcement agencies, road blockades and creating disturbances in Malakand since 1994," said an official of DI Khan jail.

The sources said: "After week-long intensive deliberations with the Kurram agency officials at the Pak-Afghan border, the talks remained fruitless as Sufi Muhammad refused to accept government's demand to surrender weapons, and insisted to carry them back home in Malakand Division."

However, he also sought the government permission to hand over arms to 'his reliable supporters' within the agency. Finally, TNSM leader decided to lay down his arms along with his 30 followers with the authorities.

Meanwhile Taliban sources told The News, "All are the non-Afghan fighters have been spread all over the militia-controlled areas. Their concentration in one area can put them in more trouble as the enemy is desperate to get them."

Some 400 Pakistani Taliban crossed into the country at Chamkani border in Kurram Agency a couple of days ago. These Pakistani supporters of Taliban comprised of youth from Punjab and Urban Sindh.

The local tribesmen from Chamkani tribe let them disperse after disarming them of all their weapons. Well-placed sources said the Pakistani supporters of Taliban would have reached their homes in different parts of the country as neither anyone was seen in the area again nor was arrested by the local officials.

The sources in Kurram Agency also confided to The News of small-scale influx of Afghan refugees. The sources said, "These are the Afghans who have relations settled here in the tribal belt. Some of them went back to their hometowns across the Durand Line when Taliban took control of their areas. The renewed coalition bombing once gain forced them flees to Kurram agency."

[MohammedA]

BBC.co.uk

Pakistan jails Islamic leader


The tribesmen had machine guns and swords

An Islamic leader who led thousands of Pakistanis across the border to support the Taleban in Afghanistan has been jailed in Pakistan for three years.
Maulana Sufi Mohammed was detained by paramilitary police on Sunday when he slipped back into Pakistan.

His son, Fazllulah, said earlier this week that about 1,000 of his father's followers were still missing in Afghanistan.

Mr Mohammed is the head of Tehreek Nifaz-e-Sharia Mohammadi, a group which supports the imposition of Islamic Sharia law in Pakistan.

Thirty of his followers have also been jailed for three years.


'Robbed by Afghans'

Mr Mohammed and many of his supporters spent much of last week stranded in the border area because Pakistani border guards insisted they leave their weapons behind.



He was arrested near the town of Parachinar, some 250 kilometres (150 miles) north of Peshawar.

His supporters, who entered Afghanistan armed with machine guns, rocket launchers, axes and swords, began trying to get home after the Taleban retreated from the north of the country.

Fazllulah told the Associated Press news agency recently that many Afghans tried to rob his father's fighters of their weapons and money.

The Pakistan tribesmen gathered in response to calls for volunteers by local Islamic militants.

Most come from villages inside the North West Frontier Province, which has strong cultural and family ties with Afghanistan.