Swat Taliban refuse to lay down arms

[HAIDER]

Now what ?


ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Taliban will not lay down their arms in a northwestern valley as part of a deal that included the introduction of sharia law but will take their 'struggle' to new areas, a militant spokesman said on Wednesday.

President Asif Ali Zardari, under pressure from conservatives, signed a regulation on Monday imposing sharia law in the Swat valley to end Taliban violence.

The strategy of appeasement has alarmed US officials, while critics say the government has demonstrated a lack of capacity and will to fight the Taliban and al Qaeda.

Details of the deal have not been made public but government officials backing the pact have said part of it was that militants would give up their arms.

But a Pakistani Taliban spokesman in the scenic valley, a one-time tourist destination 125 km northwest of Islamabad, said they would be keeping their guns.

'Sharia doesn't permit us to lay down arms,' Muslim Khan said by telephone. 'If a government, either in Pakistan or Afghanistan, continues anti-Muslim policies, it's out of the question that Taliban lay down their arms.'

Some Taliban fighters last week moved out of Swat and into Buner district, only 100 km from Islamabad, and Khan said his men would push into new areas.

'When we achieve our goal at one place, there are other areas where we need to struggle for it,' he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Tehrik-i-Nifaz-Shariat-i-Muhammdi, which Sufi Mohammad heads, announced a public rally in Mingora on April 19, DawnNews reported.

Sufi Mohammad said the rally is ‘intended to appreciate the sincere efforts and cooperation of the government which has ensured the enforcement of Sharia.’

He reiterated that laws under the Nizam-i-Adl regulation will be tailored for the common man and will provide amnesty to militants.

He further said ‘the decisions of Qazi courts will not be allowed to be challenged in any other court of the country, including the Supreme Court.’

The TNSM Chief asked the people of Swat to work together with the government to maintain peace in the region and praised the Awami National Party for its efforts in implementing the Sharia regulation.

Militants infiltrated into Swat in 2007 from strongholds on the Afghan border to the west to support cleric Sufi Mohammad.

Khan said militants would go to Afghanistan to fight US-led forces if Afghan Taliban called for help.

'Our struggle is for a cause and that's to enforce Allah's rule on Allah's land. We will send mujahideen to Afghanistan if they demand them,' he said.

One security analyst, retired Brigadier Syed Mehmood Shah, said peace could be found if the government disarmed the militants: 'The agreement should be given a chance.'

But another said the Swat militants were part of an expanding network.

'There is no comprehensive counter-insurgency strategy from the military or government. They are not taking it seriously,' said Khadim Hussain of the Aryana Institute think-tank.
DAWN.COM | - NWFP | Swat Taliban refuse to lay down arms

 

[ticktack79]

Now what ?


ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Taliban will not lay down their arms in a northwestern valley as part of a deal that included the introduction of sharia law but will take their 'struggle' to new areas, a militant spokesman said on Wednesday.

President Asif Ali Zardari, under pressure from conservatives, signed a regulation on Monday imposing sharia law in the Swat valley to end Taliban violence.

The strategy of appeasement has alarmed US officials, while critics say the government has demonstrated a lack of capacity and will to fight the Taliban and al Qaeda.

Details of the deal have not been made public but government officials backing the pact have said part of it was that militants would give up their arms.

But a Pakistani Taliban spokesman in the scenic valley, a one-time tourist destination 125 km northwest of Islamabad, said they would be keeping their guns.

'Sharia doesn't permit us to lay down arms,' Muslim Khan said by telephone. 'If a government, either in Pakistan or Afghanistan, continues anti-Muslim policies, it's out of the question that Taliban lay down their arms.'

Some Taliban fighters last week moved out of Swat and into Buner district, only 100 km from Islamabad, and Khan said his men would push into new areas.

'When we achieve our goal at one place, there are other areas where we need to struggle for it,' he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Tehrik-i-Nifaz-Shariat-i-Muhammdi, which Sufi Mohammad heads, announced a public rally in Mingora on April 19, DawnNews reported.

Sufi Mohammad said the rally is ‘intended to appreciate the sincere efforts and cooperation of the government which has ensured the enforcement of Sharia.’

He reiterated that laws under the Nizam-i-Adl regulation will be tailored for the common man and will provide amnesty to militants.

He further said ‘the decisions of Qazi courts will not be allowed to be challenged in any other court of the country, including the Supreme Court.’

The TNSM Chief asked the people of Swat to work together with the government to maintain peace in the region and praised the Awami National Party for its efforts in implementing the Sharia regulation.

Militants infiltrated into Swat in 2007 from strongholds on the Afghan border to the west to support cleric Sufi Mohammad.

Khan said militants would go to Afghanistan to fight US-led forces if Afghan Taliban called for help.

'Our struggle is for a cause and that's to enforce Allah's rule on Allah's land. We will send mujahideen to Afghanistan if they demand them,' he said.

One security analyst, retired Brigadier Syed Mehmood Shah, said peace could be found if the government disarmed the militants: 'The agreement should be given a chance.'

But another said the Swat militants were part of an expanding network.

'There is no comprehensive counter-insurgency strategy from the military or government. They are not taking it seriously,' said Khadim Hussain of the Aryana Institute think-tank.
DAWN.COM | - NWFP | Swat Taliban refuse to lay down arms

Now nothing ... as AM has been saying in all his other posts army/govt will take action against them (as they are breaking the law).
Am I right AM ???

 

[ajpirzada]

now its upto mr sufi to make them lay down their arms or otherwise gov should fight against them after taking locals into confidence which they already have after fulfilling locals demand

 

[qsaark]

Now there will Army Action what else? And that is what I wrote earlier. NA or PA did not surrender, but that was a tactical move. The GoP and Army do not want to go after the criminal elements without giving them the last chance. That was the mistake they made earlier and lost public support. Now they have accepted all the terms and threw the ball in the court of the criminals. Now people of Sawat and of rest of the Pakistan have witnessed that the criminal elements are not sincere and only working own their own agenda that has nothing to do with the welfare of the people. Now if the PA moves into, it will have full support of the people that is absolutely necessary for the success of such operations. Many Pakistanis and our foreign friends were getting impatient and were too quick in declaring the accord as a defeat on part of GoP and PA.

What really needs to be done is to give the criminal elements some more time and in the mean time exploit the media to its full potential to win the confidence of the Pakistani people on this critical yet controversial matter. Prepare the ground and than, send in the troops and not stop the operation until each and every criminal element is eradicated (no capture).

 

[Hasnain2009]

Brother i m telling u they are not that talibans who love pakistan!!

They are those talibans who are playing in the hands of foriegn countries!!

I cant accept their rule!!
They ruin the schools!! My sympathies are with those students who are the victims of talibans!!

And education is the basic pillar of Islam, and without education u are not muslim!!
This is not jihad if they are burning schools!!
And PA is diong jihad!! I will too fight with these enemies of Islam and Pakistan till my last drop of blood!!

Long Live Pakistan!!

 

[Hasnain2009]

Now there will Army Action what else? And that is what I wrote earlier. NA or PA did not surrender, but that was a tactical move. The GoP and Army do not want to go after the criminal elements without giving them the last chance. That was the mistake they made earlier and lost public support. Now they have accepted all the terms and threw the ball in the court of the criminals. Now people of Sawat and of rest of the Pakistan have witnessed that the criminal elements are not sincere and only working own their own agenda that has nothing to do with the welfare of the people. Now if the PA moves into, it will have full support of the people that is absolutely necessary for the success of such operations. Many Pakistanis and our foreign friends were getting impatient and were too quick in declaring the accord as a defeat on part of GoP and PA.

What really needs to be done is to give the criminal elements some more time and in the mean time exploit the media to its full potential to win the confidence of the Pakistani people on this critical yet controversial matter. Prepare the ground and than, send in the troops and not stop the operation until each and every criminal element is eradicated (no capture).

Is this really u qsaark??
I cant belive!!
Now u are talking nice!!
Thanks for supporting Pak Army!!

 

[qsaark]

Is this really u qsaark??
I cant belive!!
Now u are talking nice!!
Thanks for supporting Pak Army!!

Look I have never defended the Sawat Taliban. I do defend those who are fighting the occupying forces in Afghanistan. I also defend the Islam and Shariyat and will continue to do so. The so-called Taliban of Sawat is a rather complicated an issue. Who is Mahsood, what is his agenda, from where he is getting the money? Why US/NATO doesn’t consider him a threat? Yet he talks about Islam. When he talks about Islam and Shariya, I can’t appose him for that. The only thing I can do is to condemn the way he is trying to implement the Islamic laws, and I have always done that.

One has to be careful before going after such elements because they derive force from the sentiments of the people, who deep inside, respect for their religion. Keeping such people alive is dangerous, but killing them without proper home-work is disastrous. Lal Masjid Operation is a good example of haste and ill-planned action that only back-fired.

Following is what I wrote about the Nizam e Adal in one of my earlier post:

04-13-2009, 08:46 PM. Re: Nizam-i-adal approved.
Exactly, this is what we call in Urdu 'Atmam Hujjat'. Now both the parties, the Taliban of Sawat and the GoP are bound by an agreement that is endorsed by the NA. If the Taliban don’t honor this agreement (which I guess they won't), GoP will give a green signal to the PA for a thorough crackdown. And if PA is on a thorough crack down, than we know even Sardar Akbar Bugti couldn't save himself from the wrath of the PA (though it was very fateful an incident).

 

[Captain03]

taliban should just be exterminated
they don't care about the people but just their political needs
f_ckin pain in the @$$

 

[Bane Blade]

Lets hope that the Army doesn't fight to a stand still again because I was bitterly dissappointed when that happened in Swat. I agree with qsaark and I don't think that they would be able to really get their motives agreed if they lack public support.

 

[Cheetah786]

Amir Izzat Khan, a spokesman for Sufi Mohammad, a pro-Taliban Muslim leader who helped mediate the agreement, said that the deal would allow peace in Swat.

"We will make all-out efforts to establish peace in the region. The Taliban have disarmed themselves and those who have not yet disarmed will do so soon,(Lie)" Izzat Khan said.

Muslim Khan, a Pakistani Taliban spokesman, said that, with the deal in place, "there will be no need to fire a bullet".

"Women will not be allowed either to go to jobs or markets because we do not want to make them show-pieces," he said.

Even without the president's approval, judges trained in sharia had begun hearing cases in Swat, and witnesses say Taliban fighters effectively control of much of the region.

Al Jazeera English - CENTRAL/S. ASIA - Swat sharia deal worries Afghans