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Pakistan accepts Taliban rule in Swat
Pakistani authorities have agreed to establish Taliban rule in the troubled northwestern Swat Valley, new reports have revealed. Seventeen new points emerged in a meeting involving North-West Frontier Province officials, Taliban leaders and the representatives of the pro-Taliban cleric Sufi Muhammad who are mediating the talks, local media reported Thursday. Syed Mohammad Javed, commissioner of the Malakand division that includes the valley, confirmed that provincial government officials had agreed to abide by the agreement, adding that "the meeting restored the trust" lost after the ceasefire violations. The accord came after Sufi set a March 15 deadline for the government to set up a Taliban-style judicial system in the restive valley and after both sides agreed in February to an indefinite ceasefire in the troubled region. The truce, however, has been violated several times by militants who attacked security convoys. The latest round of talks has expanded the scope of what Pakistan had previously said it would do to pacify the Taliban militants in Swat Valley, sources said. The deal made no mention of female education, which militants seek to ban. Taliban has destroyed nearly 200 girl's schools in Swat. Moderate forces are concerned that the agreement will increase the influence of extremists in Pakistan. While Pakistani President Asif Zardari says the deal obliges the Taliban to lay down arms, local media reports indicate that there has been no sign of disarmament and that the Taliban has effectively gained control of Swat. In the past few months, clashes between Taliban insurgents and Pakistani military forces in Swat have left hundreds dead and displaced up to one-third of the area's 1.5 million residents. The insurgents waged a violent campaign to enforce Wahhabi-inspired laws, which included beheading dissidents and bombing girl's schools in the troubled region. Taliban leaders, who were toppled in the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan, took refuge in the tribal regions of Pakistan. They have rapidly extended their influence to major towns and cities. Posted by: Fred 2009-03-06 |
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