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| India-Pakistan |
| NWFP launches campaign to negotiate peace in Swat |
| 2008-04-11 |
| A special committee of the NWFP cabinet on Thursday launched a campaign to reach a negotiated settlement to end Taliban-linked militancy in Swat district, a member said. “Today’s [maiden] meeting of committee signifies the government’s seriousness to resolve the Swat problem peacefully,” Provincial Minister for Forest and Wildlife Wajid Ali Khan, who hails from Swat, told Daily Times. Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti set up a special cabinet committee on Swat that includes all NWFP Assembly members from Swat, Buner, Dir, and Malakand. Senior ministers Bashir Bilour from the Awami National Party and Rahim Dad Khan from the Pakistan People’s Party serve as additional members of the committee. “All the members stressed immediate practical steps to begin dialogue,” Khan said. “In the first stage, the committee will seek input from local elders, clerics and civil society on the situation.” The committee was interested in reaching a solution “as soon as possible”, he said, but he stopped short of giving a timetable. Hours before the committee members met at the NWFP Assembly following a vote of confidence for Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti, security forces gained control of Imam Dheri in Swat, raising tension in the district. |
| Posted by:Fred |