PTI's Waziristan rally: no blanket approval granted to foreign journalists, says Malik

Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Tuesday denied ganting blanket approval to foreign journalists and peace activists to attend the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) peace rally to South Waziristan Agnecy. When asked by Business Recorder, the Federal Interior Minister stated that no one from PTI had requested such an approval.
However, a spokesman of PTI Ahmad Jawad insisted that the party had received a blanket approval from the Ministry of Interior for foreign journalists and peace activists who are in Pakistan to participate in peace rally in South Waziristan.
"Taliban will not disrupt the peace rally because North and South Waziristan have been the victim of US drone strikes and PTI is the first political party which is organising a rally to condemn US drone attacks," he stated. "All tribal elders have welcomed Imran Khan's decision to hold the peace rally and have promised to provide security. Taliban have also announced they will not attack the PTI march. Then who is left who is a threat for PTI rally," he added. The government and other political parties "are trying to sabotage the PTI's Waziristan rally", the PTI leader said. "PTI will stage the rally in South Waziristan in accordance with its plan...all arrangements have been made," he maintained.
"Anti-PTI elements, including the government, are perturbed over overwhelming response to PTI rally and do not want the rally to be successful. They are creating hurdles and spreading rumours and using security issue as a tool to stop PTI," the PTI spokesperson maintained.
However, top officials in Peshawar said the government was reluctant to allow the rally in the volatile South Waziristan. "The situation is not satisfactory for public rallies in South Waziristan and it is yet to be decided whether the PTI could hold its rally in Kotkai or not," a senior official said on condition of anonymity.
It was also learnt that a PTI delegation called on Political Agent (PA) of South Waziristan Agency on Monday, who told them that the tribal administration was not in a position to provide fool-proof security. PTI denied reports regarding the meeting with Political Agent. "Such rumour mongering is designed to create disinformation among the masses and scare them into not participating in the PTI rally", said the PTI spokesperson.
Foreign journalists and peace activists who have already arrived in Pakistan to attend the peace rally will be issued NoCs to travel to Fata, while local journalists do not need any NoC, but the administration could stop them at any point for security reasons.
The PTI spokesman said that the party will march to South Waziristan with an estimated crowd of over 100,000 people. "More than 300 people from national and international media and a large number of civil society members from abroad will also join the PTI convoy. Over 60 foreigners have already reached Islamabad from different countries," he added.
The PTI spokesperson played down security risks saying that there were more security check posts along the road leading from Tank to South Waziristan, adding that the strong presence of the Pakistan Army in the area will provide further security to the rally.
Meanwhile, PML-N leader Mushahidullah Khan said: "I don't think they [PTI] will succeed in holding the rally...This is not the proper time to make any further comments." A senior ANP leader, who wished not to be named, accused PTI of having the "blessings of Inter Services Intelligence Agency (ISI)".
"This is not an easy task and without the blessings of ISI, no one would be able to visit volatile tribal areas, he added. The march would terminate at Spinkai Raghzai in South Waziristan, which is home to a large number of Mehsud tribesmen. At present, North Waziristan and Wana sub-division of South Waziristan are constantly targeted by US unmanned drone strikes. It is largely believed that Mehsud tribesmen had got rid of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants after a military operation in 2009. There has not been a drone strike in the area since then.