Local Taliban ban newspapers sale in North Waziristan

Islamabad, Nov 30 (UNI) No newspapers were sold across Pakistan's tribal region of North Waziristan yesterday because of a two-day ban on their sale by militants.

The ban was declared after an erroneous news report on Monday claimed that four militants were killed in a clash with security forces near Mir Ali town.

"No newspaper was distributed or sold anywhere in (North) Waziristan on yesterday," Daily Times quoted Haji Pazir, the sole distributor of most Urdu and English newspapers in Miranshah.

"I am abiding by the ban. I have received some bundles of newspapers but did not open them. I don't want to annoy these people (militants)," Pazir said.

The local tribal militants, popularly known as Taliban, imposed the two-day ban on the sale of newspapers against what they called "irresponsible journalism" after the BBC Urdu Service posted a stale story on its website on Monday.

A local news agency lifted the story and distributed it to all Pakistani newspapers, which they ran on their front pages. The story was about a clash between security forces and militants months ago in which four militants were killed, but the BBC ran it as a fresh story.

An administration official in Miranshah said he received no newspaper yesterday. When asked, what the administration was doing to enforce the state writ, he laughed and said: "President Pervez Musharraf says in Islamabad 'Pakistan first', but we in Miranshah say 'our skin first'." The incident exposed the government claims that the September 5 peace accord did not help the militants grow in size and influence in the region, which had been the site of a series of military operations since early 2005, which killed over 300 militants, mostly of foreign origin.

"Literally, we are ruled by people who only understand the language of force. There is nothing like government in Miranshah," said a lecturer of a college.

The Taliban Shura will meet tomorrow to discuss the ban on the sale of newspapers, said local journalists in Miranshah. "We don't know if they will lift the ban." Meanwhile, senior tribal journalists are discussing steps to avoid such incidents in the future. "We may address a news conference to call on newspaper and news agency editors to be very careful while dealing with stories concerning Waziristan," a senior journalist told Daily Times.

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