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| India-Pakistan |
| Swat jirga blames agencies for Fazlullah's terror |
| 2008-03-06 |
| A peace jirga held in Swat on Wednesday blamed the country’s intelligence agencies for the prevailing terrorist threat in the region, alleging that Maulana Fazlullah was a mere tool that must surrender to the authorities. “The government [should] hold talks with the intelligence agencies instead of the local Taliban, as the agencies and Maulana Fazlullah are one and the same in the Swat conflict, while the government is their opponent,” the peace jirga alleged. Addressing a press conference following the jirga, tribal elders — Mukhtar Yusafzai, Sher Shah Khan, Khurshid Kaka Jee, Al-Haj Zahid Khan, Fazal Maula Khan and Adalat Khan — announced a movement to restore peace to Swat and other parts of the region.n. “Maulana Fazlullah is a criminal and must repent the sins he committed at the behest of the intelligence agencies,” the elders said. They said Fazlullah’s hands were “painted with the blood of innocent people”. They said they would continue their struggle for peace until the “wave of terror” caused by militants had been brought to a halt. “The government is patronising terrorists and extremists. We demand the government stop patronising them,” they said. Rejecting all government-sponsored jirgas as fraudulent, the elders said they were prepared to sacrifice their lives for the restoration of peace and harmony. “We are not scared of [the] Taliban or the intelligence agencies. We are not frightened of being killed or beheaded,” they added. The elders demanded the government restrict its military operation to fighting only terrorists and not target innocent residents of the valley. They also demanded the government give Rs 500,000 as compensation to those martyred in the military operation and Rs 300,000 to the injured. Also on Wednesday, police defused two bombs near a petrol pump in the Chiryal area of Matta tehsil. Separately, gunship helicopters bombed the hideouts of suspected militants in Ghut Piyochar. However, there were no reports of any casualties in the incident. In the Namal area of Matta, a few militants surrendered themselves to the security forces. |
| Posted by:Fred |