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Nek's deal is off
Federally Administered Tribal Areas security chief Brig (r) Mehmood Shah has acknowledged that the controversial Shakai deal between the government and Nek Muhammad, former Taliban commander who fought pitched battles with the Army in March and was pardoned on April 24 after he surrendered to the authorities, does not exist any more. In an interview with Daily Times early this week, Brig (r) Shah described the deal as “unambiguous” and blamed foreign militants for its “short life.” Asked if the Shakai deal was valid after the lashkar was formed to press foreigners to register, he said: “It does appear ‘no’. These people have misread the government’s resolve to the rid the area of foreigners.”
Or they've read it correctly. It'll take a fairly high corpse count to get them out. And all the time operations are going on the MMA will be gnawing at the Perv's ankle, while aiding and abetting the Bad Guys.
Asked if the deal was signed in a hurry because the government did not involve local guarantors, he said the deal became possible after the two MMA MNAs sent the authorities a message that they could help them reach a settlement with the wanted men. “Although the two MNAs tried their best, they failed to realise the difficulties ahead. We told them to involve maliks (tribal chieftains) as well, but they ignored our request. Therefore, it will be unfair to blame the authorities for not involving local guarantors in the whole process,” he added.
That sort of thing happens when the negotiators are on the other side, doesn't it?
Asked if he could explain the third clause on foreigners’ registration, Brig Shah said the third clause allowed foreigners to live honourably but within the parameters of Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah’s December 23 address in Wana. He said the government was very clear about the third clause of the deal. “All details have been worked out and Nek is aware of them. So, there is no ambiguity regarding the deal’s third clause,” he said. Asked if he could call the deal a success, he said: “No. Fiasco is more like it. We have now got more intelligence about Nek’s links with foreigners. What we achieved from the deal is that people now understand our viewpoint and are convinced that the government was justified in its action against foreigners. One can see the opposition to military operations is coming down. Now we know where the foreigners are hiding in Waziristan. We know more about their communication system. We stand more educated on this issue now.”
Posted by: Fred 2004-05-29
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=34199