Military offensive not against tribals, says Pakistani minister

October 13th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The deadly suicide attack that shook a Swat market killing 41, has nullified the Pakistan Government's repeated claims of it having cleared the Swat Valley of Taliban insurgents. The Shangla district market bombing was the fourth major attack in Swat this week, and came two days after a stunning attack on the armed forces' headquarters in Rawalpindi, which killed 23.

October 11th, 2009 KORAPUT - In a bid to resolve growing tension over land between tribals and non-tribals in Orissa's Koraput district, the State Government on Sunday distributed forest land amongst tribals under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act. The land lease documents were handed over by the District Collector of Koraput, Gadadhar Parida, to the entitled tribals from Narayanpatna, Bandhagaon and Laxmipur blocks of Koraput district, who had earlier applied for land.

September 4th, 2009 KORATPUR - Four tribesmen died in Koraput district of Orissa after they were forced to eat a soup made of mango kernel recently. Preliminary medical reports said the soup was bacteria-infected and the tribals, who belong to Narayanpatna block, died of food poisoning.

August 19th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - U.S. Central Command chief General David Petraeus has arrived here to hold discussions with Pakistan's military leaders on expediting delivery of US equipment to Pakistan so it can expand its offensive against Taliban militants.

August 18th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Army has said that it would require months to prepare for a ground offensive against the Taliban in their South Waziristan stronghold on the Afghan border. Lieutenant-General Nadeem Ahmed, Commander of the 1 Strike Corps in Mangla in Pakistan Kashmir, said this while reacting to comments made by visiting US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke.

August 9th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - In a bid to ensure that Islamabad doesn't call off or delay its military offensive in Waziristan following the reported death of Baitullah Mehsud, the United States has told Pakistan to continue fighting the war on terror in the tribal areas. "The Obama administration is pleased over the death of Baitullah Mehsud, but it is against any decision by Islamabad to delay the South Waziristan offensive for long or call it off," The Nation quoted a diplomatic source, as saying.

August 2nd, 2009 BANDHUGAON - In an attempt to exercise their rights, tribals in Orissa are on a land acquiring spree, albeit peacefully. After creating unrest, instigated allegedly by the Maoists, earlier in Bandhugaon and Narayanpatna regions of the state, the tribals in Bandhugaon, have now decided to shed violence and adopt peaceful means to get lands from the non-tribals.

July 19th, 2009 KORAPUT - Several agitated tribals in Orissa's Koraput district have resorted to forcible eviction methods of private companies from the forest land, in the disguise of restoration of land to tribals, the so-called 'real' owners. The forest land, however, had been sold off by the non-tribals owners to private companies.

July 5th, 2009 BANDHUGAON - Hundreds of tribals staged a rally in Bandhugaon in Orissa's Koraput district on Saturday asserting their right on land. The tribals, with the backing of the Maoists, accused the non-tribals of grabbing their land.

June 24th, 2009 BHUBANESHWAR J - The Orissa government has decided to bring amendments to Orissa Scheduled Tribe and Traditional Dwellers Act, 2006, to pave way for tribals to continue in the land occupied by them. The Government has so far identified about 20,000 tribals who are traditional forest dwellers but hold no land rights.

June 22nd, 2009 SILIGURI - Tribals employed in tea gardens as pluckers and factory workers in Doars Terai region, held a rally in Siliguri to highlight their problems. Organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Adivashi Bikash Parishad (ABAVP - All India Tribal Development Council) of the Doars Terai region, the rally appealed to the government to facilitate reopening of 14 tea gardens.

June 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The United States has assessed the on ground situation in Pakistan as "very dire", following the military operation against the Taliban in tribal areas. US Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley admitted that the current offensive has had an impact on the Pakistani population and the number of internally- displaced persons is more than two million.

May 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - With Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari leaving no stone unturned in assuring the United States that Islamabad is concerned by the Taliban's expanding writ and that the country's Army is pledged to flush out the extremists, top US officials have raised questions over the Pakistan military offensive. Senior Obama aides are speculative about the success of the military offensive in Pakistan, as the army is ill suited to carry out the kind of counterinsurgency operations needed to end the Taliban fighters' control of Swat, in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP).

February 1st, 2009 KOLKATA - Four people were injured in a clash between activists of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and tribals in a West Bengal district, the police said Monday. The clash broke out between the CPI-M activists and Maoist-backed tribals over the death of CPI-M leader Nandalal Pal.

February 1st, 2009 KOLKATA - Two tribals were killed in a clash with activists of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in West Bengal, the police said Monday. The clash broke out between the CPI-M activists and Maoist-backed tribals over the death of CPI-M leader Nandalal Pal.