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| 17-point plan to salvage Swat peace accord |
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Thursday, March 05, 2009
By Delawar Jan
PESHAWAR: In a desperate move to salvage the Swat peace accord, the government, the Swat militants and the Tanzim Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) on Wednesday agreed to a 17-point plan to bring back lasting peace to the violence-hit valley.
After the agreement, a copy of which was made available to The News, the forces vacated the former headquarters of Maulana Fazlullah in Mamdherai, though there was no point regarding vacation of the complex. The TNSM chief, Maulana Sufi Muhammad, took control of it.
The forces also vacated the Jehanzeb College and girlsí school in Muhammad Gul Shaheed Mohallah, Mingora. Also, the government will release 10 militants under the accord. A three-member committee, comprising one member each from the government, the TNSM and the Swat militants, was constituted to oversee the implementation of the accord.
A Taliban source said that the government had also agreed to do away with all the checkpoints across the valley, including those in Qamber and Takhtaband, while the Taliban repeated their unfulfilled promise of not attacking the convoys taking ration for security forces. The peace deal reached between the Sufi Muhammad-led TNSM and the government suffered serious setbacks over the last few days, creating apprehensions about its failure.
However, representatives of the TNSM, the Swat TTP and the government held talks to build trust and to make sure that all the sides adhered to the peace deal struck with the announcement of the Nizam-e-Adl.
In the two-hour-long negotiations at the Commissioner House, the TNSM was represented by its Naib Ameer Muhammad Alam, spokesman Amir Izzat, Maulana Dost Muhammad and Akhunzada Sikandar Hayat, militants’ commander Mahmood Khan represented Fazlullah and commissioner and DCO Khushhal Khan were from the government side.
During the talks, they agreed to a plan, comprising 17 steps, for durable peace in the valley. However, most of the measures recommended in the plan were those practices that were not violently opposed by the militants.
The points of the agreement are: Action against drug peddlers will be initiated; measures will be taken to end obscenity; a robust campaign against bribe-taking will be launched; a ban will be placed on sale of obscene CDs; shops will be closed for prayers; expulsion of prostitutes and their pimps (from the valley) will be ensured; action against hoarders and shopkeepers fleecing people will be started; a special campaign to raise awareness about crimes will be launched; timely action on people’s complaints will be taken; a rehabilitation centre would be established for drug addicts; steps would be taken for initiation of teachings of the Holy Quran and prisonersí rehabilitation in all jails; all Ulema will be persuaded to work for inter-faith harmony and take part in drive for this purpose; measures must be taken to restore people’s confidence in police stations; all corrupt police officers would be banished from the Malakand division; a complaint-box must be fixed outside every officer’s office; women must be given their due share in inheritance; protection of the rights of employers and employees be ensured.
Following the finalisation of the agreement, security forces, who had captured the Mamdherai Markaz, vacated it and handed it over to Maulana Sufi Muhammad. Official sources claimed that Sufi had moved to the complex.
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Three killed as Sh Rashid escapes attempt on life
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Govt urged to take up water issue with India
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Avalanche kills 17 Indian soldiers in held Kashmir
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Taliban defiant as Afghans flee ahead of assault
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Plea to freeze foreign accounts
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Attack on Sh Rashid
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Indian forces to halt Kashmir rally outside UN office
HELD SRINAGAR: The held Kashmir authorities deployed thousands of police and troops on Monday to prevent a protest outside the UN office here over the recent killing of two teenage boys by Indian security force more |
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briefs...
20 die in Afghan floods, avalanches
KANDAHAR: Twenty people have died in floods and avalanches triggered by some of the heaviest rain and snow in Afghanistan for 50 years, an official said on Monday. At more |
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ISSN 1563-9479 
