PESHAWAR – Families of the tribesmen killed and injured in the deadly US drone strike on a tribal jirga on Thursday refused to accept the government’s compensation and demanded a halt to US drone strikes in the region. The government had announced Rs 300,000 (about $3,530) each person killed and Rs 100,000 for each injured. Over 40 tribesmen were killed and many others injured in a drone strike on a jirga of council of tribal elders in Datta Khel area of North Waziristan on March 17. The Pakistan army chief had strongly condemned the US drone strike on innocent tribesmen. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry had also summoned the US ambassador for a formal protest and Prime Minister Gilani also criticised the strike in a statement.
The local administrator in North Waziristan, on behalf of the central government, had announced compensation for the families of victims and the injured. However, three relatives of the victims, Sherza Ali, Sher Dad Khan and Mir Akbar, told a news conference in Miranshah, that they would not accept the compensation.”We will not accept the money. We ask the Pakistani rulers to stop strikes by US spy aircraft in the future,” they said.They angrily reacted to checking by security personnel at 13 checkpoints along the main road between Miranshah and Mir Ali. They suggested that search should be carried out at one checkpoint.
