Amnesty for Pakistani tribesmen

The tribesmen are accused of harbouring al-Qaeda members

Five wanted tribesmen accused of sheltering al-Qaeda members in Pakistan's South Waziristan province have been given an amnesty by the army.

The men emerged from hiding to shake hands with the regional corps commander Lt Gen Safdar Hussain.

Under the amnesty deal, the tribesmen agree to halt activities against Pakistan and Afghanistan.

They had led stiff resistance to an army operation in March to root out militants linked to al-Qaeda.

More than 100 militants and troops were killed in the fighting.

At the beginning of the operation, there were reports that Osama Bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, was close to being captured but no senior al-Qaeda figures have been detained.

American forces have been conducting their own operations on the Afghan side of the border in what they have described as a coordinated "hammer and anvil" operation.

Gifts

The announcement was made at a big tribal gathering, or jirga, during which the wanted tribesmen came out of hiding to give a pledge of good conduct.

Witnessed by several thousand cheering tribesmen, General Hussain shook hands with the five men who until recently had been described as the country's most wanted criminals.

The standoff in Waziristan has ended for the time being

In line with local custom, the tribesmen presented the military commander with a number of gifts to mark the end of the dispute.

They also promised that all foreign nationals living in South Waziristan would register themselves with the authorities.

Some tribal leaders say Arab and Chechen nationals who have been living in the area for decades are often mistaken for al-Qaeda members.

Tribal customs, they say, would not permit the authorities to target them.

Although the exact details of the amnesty deal may never be known, it has brought a halt to the security operation against suspected al-Qaeda militants in South Waziristan, says the BBC's Zaffar Abbas in Islamabad.

The United States earlier praised Pakistan for the military crackdown in the area; it is not clear how it will react to the latest development, our correspondent says.