Pakistan deploys army in tribal city to secure key routes

Pakistan on Tuesday started deployment of regular army in a volatile tribal region to secure key routes following a peace deal signed by rival sectarian factions, official sources in the region said. Taliban militants and sectarian groups had taken control of main roads in their dominant areas in Kurram tribal region and now elders have decided to open roads closed for nearly four years.  The stranded people of Kurram agency would travel via Afghanistan to reach the northwestern city of Peshawar after a long and risky journey due to closure of roads.  Sources said that the army troops began deployment in Parachinar, the headquarters of Kurram Agency, and its surroundings under an agreement signed in October 2008 and reaffirmed earlier this month.  The army and paramilitary forces would be deployed to make the highway secure for passengers traveling between Kurram and Peshawar that had remained unsafe since November 2007.  Mosques in the area announced on Monday that troops would start patrolling the town from Tuesday. Residents were cautioned not to carry or display arms in public and cooperate with the security forces. They were told to carry their national identity cards with them when going out.  Members of the jirga or council of elders who are facilitating peace talks and senior officials had also witnessed the ceremony.  Residents said that several checkpoints were being established in and outside the towns having a population of over 40,000. They said that Parachinar city was being sealed from all sides.  Pakistani forces completed operation against militants in central Kurram in August last and return of internally displaced persons to their area had been started.  Meanwhile the security forces arrested several ‘important’ persons from different parts of Kurram Agency and Peshawar during the last couple of days.  Official sources said that a militant leader Shamsur Rehman, a close associate of the head of Taliban’s splinter group, Commander Fazal Saeed Haqqani was arrested last week.  Sources said that secret agencies picked up Eid Nazar, an important character behind the unrest in Kurram, from Peshawar a few days back.  Meanwhile, the political administration arrested 35 residents in Kurram agency in connection with kidnapping of two paramilitary soldiers last week.