Reports have surfaced that terrorists were using explosive-packed underwears instead of jackets for suicide attacks. An official of the NWFP police said: “We had reports well before the recent operation launched in district Swat. A few arrests have been made in this regard, and the arrested persons have disclosed the complete plan of the terrorists.”
  Superintendent of Police Cantonment Circle Abdul Qadir Qamar told mediapersons that police in Peshawar had beefed up security and established at least 20 checkpoints, eight of them in the city areas to check the entry of suicide bombers. He said the police were fully concentrating on checking vehicles especially at the entry points. He disclosed that earlier police avoided checking vehicles with women on board, but now all vehicles were being checked even if a lady police was not available on the occasion. He said if vehicles were not thoroughly checked suicide bombers could benefit from the presence of women.
  Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) threatened to escalate attacks across Pakistan because of the renewed military action in Swat. “We will start operations in the entire country, in the entire province because we consider this an act against Taliban to appease the West and United States.”
  Reports pouring in from district Swat reveal that Swat-based militants on Wednesday last warned the members of national and provincial assemblies from the district to resign from their seats or face attacks. Muslim Khan, a spokesman for Swat militants, told reporters on telephone that they would take avenge the military operation from the parliamentarians if they did not resign. He declared that the recent operation was a clear violation of peace agreement signed between them and the NWFP government and it was just to pacify the feeling of United States.
  The re-launching of operation against the militants in Swat was decided after the militants killed three intelligence officials and captured 29 others from Swat. The slain officials belonged to an intelligence agency and were identified as Subedar Sher Abbas Khattak, Lance Naik Malikdad and Lance Naik Riaz Ahmad. Reports said three officials were on their way to Mingora from Matta in their double cabin pick-up when unidentified gunmen opened fire on them at Badshah Chinar area of Matta. Tehrik-i-Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the killing. He also claimed to have kidnapped 29 security officials.
  For the first time in tribal areas, anti-Baitullah Mehsud pamphlets have been distributed in North Waziristan, which has caused concern among the Taliban and militants loyal to Mehsud. Reports from North Waziristan said some unidentified persons distributed the pamphlets, stating differences among the Taliban leaders in Bannu’s Bakakhel area. The leaflets were attributed to Maulvi Nazir and Gul Bahadur, Taliban leaders in South and North Waziristan.
  The two militant leaders have formed a new militant bloc to defend interests of the Wazir tribes. The statement from the office of Taliban commander Gul Bahadur denied it and said they were not involved in the distribution. He said anyone who issued the pamphlets was a hypocrite and would be taken to task once identified.
  “Threats hurled by Afghan President Hamid Karzai to target Baitullah Mehsud may also be a part of this campaign,” a spokesman for the Taliban said.
  While condemning the threat, Maulvi Omar said Taliban would fiercely resist such action. Maulvi Omar also condemned the Australian statement in which the tribal areas were declared a global threat. He said tribesmen were Islam loving and patriotic people, while the coalition troops had been involved in terrorism in Afghanistan and tribal areas.
  Observers believe that after analysing the threats by the Afghan president, apparently one can easily make his mind about the involvement of President Hamid Karzai’s government in the tribal affairs of Pakistan.
  The outgoing US commander, Gen McNeill, who left Afghanistan on June 3 after 16 months, said a stable Afghanistan was impossible without a more robust military campaign against insurgents in Pakistan. “This is all deliberate. We know what they want from Pakistan. Both the United States and Afghanistan want Pakistan to allow their forces free movement in the tribal areas. Attacking the innocent tribals in the name of killing militants of Al-Qaeda operatives, but Pakistani government would not allow this,” a senior intelligence officer told Weekly Pulse.
  He went on to say that there is no indication anywhere from the tribal belt that foreign militants are hiding there. The government agencies are actively working on this accusation against Pakistan by Nato and Afghan forces.
  He said Pakistani intelligence had solid proof of the involvement of neighbouring countries in the tribal unrest. He said some of these proofs had been presented to US authorities and hopefully if action was taken against such elements there were good chances of control of unrest in the tribal areas.
This is for the first time that Pakistan has presented some evidence to the US of the involvement of foreign hand in the militancy in the tribal areas. Observers believe that if this move is followed properly, there would be no one in future to accuse Pakistan of interference in Afghanistan through its tribal militants.