Pakistan says rebel pact won't stop surgical strikes

ISLAMABAD, Sep 13 (Reuters) Pakistan's army can still carry out surgical strikes if there is militant activity in the North Waziristan region, a senior official said today, referring to a pact to end fighting with pro-Taliban tribesmen.

Critics of the accord say the government had virtually caved in to the militants' demands and the strategy risked creating a safe haven in North Waziristan for Taliban insurgents, who are fighting the government in Afghanistan, and their al Qaeda allies.

The semi-autonomous tribal area in Pakistan borders Afghanistan.

''This agreement does not debar us from taking surgical action,'' a senior government official told Western journalists at a briefing on Pakistan's counter-terrorism strategy.

Under the terms of the treaty, some foreign militants, who were unable to return to their homelands, would be allowed to stay in North Waziristan provided they abided by the law.

But the official said the treaty did not stop Pakistani security forces from arresting anyone on a wanted list compiled by the Afghan, Pakistani and US governments.

''It's a very long list,'' said the official, who declined to be identified.

Aside from Pakistani and Afghan Taliban, Arabs, Chechens and Central Asians are said to be hiding in Waziristan. Critics of the accord also say the tribal signatories did not represent some of the most active militant leaders in the region.

Under the terms of the treaty, the Pakistan army, has withdrawn its troops from some checkposts in Waziristan, but it is still deployed along the border.

Pakistan has the equivalent of two divisions, about 30,000 troops, stationed in North and South Waziristan, where it has been fighting al Qaeda and pro-Taliban tribesmen since early 2004. During that time it has lost 375 soldiers and militiamen.

The official dismissed suggestions that militants could simply drive to neighbouring areas and cross into Afghanistan from there, saying they would be stopped by paramilitary forces.

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