Sadaqat Jan, Associated Press  --  Arab News

ISLAMABAD, 29 April 2004 — An amnesty offer for foreigners sheltering in a lawless tribal region near Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan is open to all but top Al-Qaeda and Taleban leaders, Pakistan’s interior minister said.

Last week, the government gave amnesties to five powerful local tribal leaders accused of harboring Al-Qaeda men in the South Waziristan tribal agency — a reconciliatory move after a major army operation there last month left 120 people dead — and gave foreigners, believed to include Central Asian and Arab militants, until Friday to surrender to authorities or face further military action.

“We believe that all the foreign elements should surrender and hand in their weapons to the government,” Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat told Pakistan’s private Geo television network in an interview aired yesterday. It was recorded on Tuesday.

“They have been given the assurance that, except for the top leadership of Taleban and Al-Qaeda, anyone who surrenders will not be given to any other government or agency.

“If there is a need, let’s hope there is no need, (military) action will definitely be taken,” he said.

South Waziristan is widely regarded as a sanctuary for Al-Qaeda and Taleban rebels operating in eastern Afghanistan. It is a possible hide-out for Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda’s No. 2, Ayman Al-Zawahri.

But many of the foreigners living there are believed to be Afghan refugees. Others are Arab and Central Asian veterans of the war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s who later settled in Pakistan.

Asked whether Taleban were present in the area, Hayat said Pakistan did get reports of people who were linked “directly or indirectly with Taleban and Al-Qaeda,” but added that didn’t necessarily mean Taleban rebels were there.

On Tuesday, Brig. Mahmood Shah, security chief for Pakistan’s tribal regions, said authorities might issue identity passes for foreigners in the area, but said that so far none had come forward.

An official source, who requested anonymity, said the Friday deadline was likely to be extended, although it wasn’t clear by how long.

Pakistan’s deal with the local tribal renegades has palpably eased tensions after months of bloody confrontation, although the United States, which counts Pakistan as a key ally, had hailed the March operation and made it clear it expected to see more tough action.

Hundreds of militants are believed to have escaped the operation, including a prominent Uzbek separatist with links to Al-Qaeda.

Pakistan Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said the passing of the Friday deadline gave the government the option of using military force, but did not necessarily mean it would do so.