'No foreign forces in Waziristan'

Pakistan will not allow any foreign forces to operate from Waziristan, the Federally Administered Tribal Area, to fight against al Qaeda elements or criminals.

This was decided at a meeting reportedly presided over by President Pervez Musharraf and attended by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Thursday.

"Only our own forces will ensure security in North and South Waziristan agencies and other FATA areas. As a sovereign country, Pakistan cannot allow any foreign troops to operate on its soil," Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said.

The meeting reviewed the law and order situation in FATA and opined that situation in the region is gradually improving, the Dawn newspaper quoted Sherpao

as saying. One of the major issues, the minister said, was the sense of deprivation that often leads to criminal activities in FATA, where Pakistan has deployed its forces to flush out foreign militants holed up there.

The government, he said, was taking all possible administrative and security measures to restore normalcy there with the help of important political and religious leaders. He said Pakistan was cooperating with US and Afghan officials to ensure peace and security in Afghanistan. The meeting expressed satisfaction over various measures being taken to improve law and order situation in FATA.

More reports from Pakistan