Kidnapping and killing are apparently clauses in the deal that the Taliban must follow.
When we send the dead bodies of these soldiers back to their families, what should we tell them about the deal made with their killers?
And this Sufi guy is a snake who cannot be trusted. Does anyone remember how many people he led to their deaths by urging people to go to defend Taliban in Afghanistan? Why did he not go himself?
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Sufi threatens to withdraw as arbitrator, militants briefly hold two officials
By Delawar Jan
PESHAWAR: In yet another serious blow to the shaky Swat peace deal, the militants on Tuesday kidnapped two high ranking officials of the Anti-Corruption Department and killed two soldiers in Ronial area of Matta Tehsil.
On the other hand, TNSM chief Sufi Muhammad has accused the security forces for the violation of the peace accord and threatened to withdraw as arbitrator. However, the NWFP government spokesman Mian Iftikhar Hussain asked Sufi Muhammad to take notice of the “elements bent upon sabotaging the peace agreement” as such action could impede implementation of the Nizam-e-Adl.
A statement of the Swat Media Centre (SMC) said a party of the security forces was fetching water in Ronial area of the Matta Tehsil, the hotbed of Taliban militants, when the militants ambushed them, injuring three personnel, including an officer. “The militants’ unprovoked firing on the water tanker of the security forces is a clear violation of the peace accord. The security forces are exercising full restraint and complying with the terms and spirit of the peace accord,” said the statement. Sources said that two of the injured succumbed to injuries in hospital.
In another incident, the militants reportedly kidnapped Director Anti-Corruption NWFP Yameen Khan and Assistant Director Bakht Zada Khan from Qamber area near Mingora but released them soon.
As there is no military operation at the moment, the militants have been roaming free along with their guns, the locals said. They said the militants had moved into the town without any fear due to the peace deal and had been carrying out brazen activities.
However, Yameen, while talking to The News, claimed that he was not kidnapped. Before this incident, the militants had kidnapped District Coordination Officer Swat Khushhal Khan and a senior officer of the Frontier Corps along with five guards. Both were released after intervention by the TNSM and local administration.
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Despite unabated activities of the militants, TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad, who has been negotiating peace in the valley, seems unhappy with the security forces for “breaching the agreement”.**
Addressing a press conference in Mingora, Sufi Muhammad threatened to withdraw as the arbitrator “if the forces did not stop the violations.” He said in both the areas — Sersenai and Ronial — the forces violated the deal by making movements without taking the four-member committee into confidence. He said the government did not heed to his earlier warning and arrested some militants.
A source close to Sufi Muhammad said that according to the peace agreement, the forces would move only when accompanied by the concerned committee. He also said that soldiers or high-ranking government officials could leave the valley but could not come without permission. Asked whether the militants did not commit a breach by kidnapping government officials, he said they were not kidnapped but made “guests” and were freed after some time. Meanwhile, unidentified assailants shot dead a person identified as Pardol Khan.
