GHALANAI: Tribesmen in Mohmand Agency voluntarily handed over a large quantity of arms and ammunition to the political authorities on Thursday, sources said. Haji Subadaar Safi of the Safi Masaood tribe conducted the weapons handover, which consisted of: four 12.7 mm guns; one anti-aircraft gun (AAG) with 127 rounds of bullets; two 14.7 mm AAGs with 47 rounds of bullets; and one rocket launcher. Addressing the handover ceremony, Malik Zafar Khan Siyaal, a Safi Masaood tribal elder, said that the prosperity of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) depended on education not arms. He then called on his fellow tribesmen to shed decades' old disputes to bring peace to the region. "Peace in the region is only possible through education of our children and not by making them familiar with the gun," he said.
Welcoming the tribesmen's gesture, the political authorities offered to extend all possible help in ensuring that quality education be made available in the area. Political Agent also pledged to play an active role in bringing to an end internal disputes between tribesmen.