Islamabad, June 9
Provoked by a spate of suicide attacks, the Pakistan government today scrapped a controversial peace deal signed last month with the Taliban that the US had bitterly opposed but the militia said it was still holding truce.
“The Swat agreement is scrapped as the militants have (continued) their attacks on security forces,” Rahman Malik, adviser to the Prime Minister on interior affairs, told reporters here.
The government in the Taliban-infested North West Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan had signed the agreement with militants in the restive Swat valley.
Under the agreement, militants had given a commitment to stop attacks on security forces while the army was to be gradually withdrawn from the region.
The Taliban rejected Malik’s statement saying as the deal was signed with the NWFP government, the Centre could not scrap it and they were still holding to the truce.
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said “some elements” were trying to sabotage the peace process.
The peace agreement was signed with the NWFP government and “not with Rehman Malik”, he said reacting to Malik’s announcement and especially his stand that there would be no talks with hard line militants.
Khan told “Dawn News” the local Taliban wanted to resolve their issues with the provincial government.
The Awami National Party-led NWFP government too reacted angrily to Malik’s comments, with senior minister and ANP leader Bashir
Bilour saying Malik should have consulted the provincial authorities before making such statements.
The ANP is part of the PPP-led ruling coalition at the Centre while the PPP is its junior ally in the province.
The local Taliban in Swat, NWFP, too reaffirmed their commitment to the peace deal signed with the provincial agreement.
Swat, located about 160 km from Islamabad, is a tribal region that was the main tourist destination until militants led by Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah launched a violent campaign to enforce Shariat last year.
Hundreds of militants were killed after the security forces launched an operation to dismantle Fazlullah’s parallel administration in about 60
villages.
Malik’s announcement came a day after the Taliban militants killed four policemen in an ambush in Matani, near Peshawar, the capital of NWFP.
The Pakistani Taliban had yesterday accused the government of not honouring its commitments under the deal.
— PTI
