Trouble With Peace
Lack of
cooperation between the government and the militants is causing tension in the
Swat peace accord
By Delawar Jan
The Taliban and the NWFP government did not show
sincerity and seriousness to put the Swat peace accord into practice as after
the lapse of more than a month the peace deal could not be enforced
Due to unnecessary delay in the implementation,
security forces and the Taliban -- operating under the command of Maulana Fazlullah -- skirmished
last week after the suspension of talks and put an end to the 44-day ceasefire.
As a result, the clashes claimed several lives putting the future of the peace
accord in danger.
Two key militant commanders, Shehzad
and Khan Agha, an Afghan national, were among the
dead. The Taliban blamed the security forces for attacking Shezad's
house near Sambat Cham
where Khan Agha was a guest, but the military
spokesman in Mingora said that the militants attacked
the forces first which forced them to retaliate.
Five schools were also set on fire but the Taliban
denied their claiming their hand in it.
The provincial government was making unflagging
efforts to control the situation and return the defiant Taliban to talks.
Maulana Fazlullah, who remained
underground for months following the military operation in 2007, came down from
his mountainous hideout on June 17 to chair the Shura
meeting and meet his followers. Militant sources said he met more than 1,500
fighters, key commanders and ulema. They said that Fazlullah asked the Taliban team negotiating with the
government to brief the Shura on the peace accord and
report the progress on its implementation. During the briefing, the Shura noted the government had failed to release Taliban
prisoners within 15 days of the deal as promised in the accord. Also, the
government did not withdraw troops, pay compensation to the victims of military
operations and dismantle check-posts. Subsequently, it asked the negotiating
team to stop talks on the implementation of the accord with the government
until the release of the Taliban prisoners.
However, Fazlullah
ordered his fighters to abide by the peace agreement, he also directed his
commanders to investigate attacks on girls' schools in Upper and
Muslim Khan, the spokesman for the Swat Taliban,
told TNS that the government had released only 18 Taliban prisoners in 25 days
through a 'painful' judicial process while the government, he claimed, had to
release all prisoners within 15 days of the accord, the deadline ended on June
5. "There are 45 Taliban prisoners in Timergara
jail and 20 in Circuit House Mingora," he said.
Asked whether there was any key commander among the prisoners, he said the
government has held one of their top commanders, Khan Khitab.
The claim was shocking as the commander, allegedly involved in beheading of security
forces and cops, had been killed by the military
during operation in Matta area late last year. The
security forces had arrested him in injured condition but Muslim claimed that Khitab had not died. "Where is his corpse if he has
been killed?" he asked. However, Muslim reiterated the militants'
commitment to adhere to the peace deal adding that they also did not doubt the
sincerity of the local administration and the NWFP government.
Analysts claim, both
signatories to the accord, which was agreed upon in only 13 days, in just three
rounds of talks, are not sincere or determined enough to implement the accord,
as after the lapse of more than a month the peace deal could not be enforced.
With both the sides reluctant to act, the accord proved ineffective and served
as a fragile ceasefire.
The Taliban blamed the government for not making
progress on the implementation, but they also have not honoured
their part of the agreement.
The 16-point agreement written on plain paper in
Urdu made the militants bound to accept the writ of the government, dismantle
all centers where suicide bombers were being trained and explosives prepared,
disband the private militia, end and condemn kidnappings, stop attacks on
government buildings, installations, infrastructure, security forces and
police. The militants were also required to put an end to display of weapons
and their opposition to female education. However, the militants are not
complying with the clauses of the agreement and instead pressurising
the government to act first. The Swat Taliban have neither disarmed nor
disbanded their private militia whose number runs in thousands. As far
accepting the writ of the government, Taliban have not honoured
it as several incidents including the murder of a Jamaat-e-Islami
worker, Muhammad Zameer took place during the truce.
The government accused the Taliban of continuing
armed patrol in certain parts of the district, moreover, there were fresh
reports regarding the establishment of courts in Matta
tehsil and whipping of 'criminals.' A highly placed
source informed this scribe that the militants had also set up main court in Peuchar and sub-courts in Mian Kalay, Namal, Barthana,
Fazil Banda, Sakhra, and Sambat-Bodigram. However, Muslim Khan denied the
establishment of courts, "We have only reconciled between disputing
parties as jirgas in other parts of the province do,
so we acted as jirga and not court," he said.
Muslim Khan added they had not imposed any verdict on people.
There were also no signs of dismantling the
training centers where suicide bombers were trained and explosives prepared.
The attacks on girls' schools are also a flagrant violation of the deal. They
are still fully equipped with sophisticated weapons, having the ability to
strike any time. The government, though, has taken some measures towards the
enforcement of the accord, but the process of implementation is dead slow.
According to the pact, the NWFP government had to enforce Shariah
in the erstwhile Malakand division, release Taliban
prisoners after reviewing their cases (there is no mention of 15 days in the
deal), pay compensation to military operations' victims and gradually withdraw
20,000 army troops billeted in several buildings. "At present the army
patrol should end and troops should be limited to buildings and then their
gradual withdrawal may be initiated so that trust can be established,"
said Muslim Khan and hastened to add that they were not forcing the government
for the immediate removal of army. Both sides had also agreed to change Mamdheri Complex -- the former headquarters of Fazlullah -- into a modern Islamic University.
The government released 18 prisoners in two phases,
earmarked Rs 5 million for Islamic varsity and
proposed Dr Farooq Khan as the vice chancellor of the
proposed university. The government, however, is yet to free
the remaining Taliban prisoners, pay compensation, enforce Shariah
and start the process of troops' withdrawal.
Courtesy: The News