By Kamran Haider
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan militants linked to al-Qaedawarned any incoming civilian government on Sunday that theywould strike even more viciously if President PervezMusharraf's war on terror was continued in tribal areas.
Following last week's inconclusive election, severalpolitical parties are in talks to form a coalition big enoughfor a ruling majority in the National Assembly. How they dealwith the militants will be one of their most pressingchallenges.
Maulvi Omar, a spokesman for the Pakistan Taliban, toldReuters by telephone from an undisclosed location that any newoperation against militants in tribal areas would lead toviolence.
"Whoever makes the government, we want to make it clear tothem we don't want fighting. We want peace, but if they imposewar on us, we will not spare them," he said.
"We don't want political parties to repeat the mistakewhich Musharraf committed and follow a path dictated by theU.S."
Musharraf, a key Washington ally in its war on terror,angered many Islamists by sending the army into tribal lands toflush out Pakistani militants and foreign al-Qaeda fightershiding in the rugged and remote region, bordering Afghanistan.
Many al-Qaeda fighters and other militants fled toPakistan's tribal areas when U.S.-led forces ousted the Talibangovernment in Afghanistan after Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on theUnited States.
Islamist parties ruled the border areas of North WestFrontier Province and Baluchistan and were the main oppositionin the National Assembly for five years until being swept awayin last week's vote by liberal groups led by assassinatedformer prime minister Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party(PPP).
HUNDREDS KILLED
Bhutto was murdered while leaving a rally on December 27,in a plot the government has blamed on the Pakistan Taliban.Hundreds of people have died in suicide and other bomb attackslinked to the militants in the past few years.
The PPP and other parties have been critical of extremismand militants and vowed to fight them.
Omar said the warning against any new tribal operations wasagreed during a meeting of the Tehrik-e-Taliban, an umbrellaorganisation of various militant groups.
He insisted no foreign militants were being given refuge intribal areas and said the Pakistan Taliban were ready to helpgovernment forces verify this for themselves.
"We can talk and give support," he said.
The warning comes as leaders of various Pakistan partiescontinued haggling with each other and their party faithful toform a coalition able to make a majority in the NationalAssembly.
Provisional results have been announced for all but 10seats, and the PPP leads with 87 followed by the PakistanMuslim League (Nawaz), otherwise known as the PML-N or NawazLeague, with 67.
The fate of Musharraf, who seized power in a military coupin October 1999, could depend on what kind of coalitionemerges, although his supporters, with 39 seats, could stillhave a say.
If the PPP and PML-N forge a coalition, as expected, itwill be the first time in Pakistan's history the two mainparties have come together.
Both have said they want Musharraf to quit and havepreviously suggested impeaching him if he refuses to go.
(Editing by David Fox and Jerry Norton)
