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NWFP warns Sufi against ‘violations’ of peace deal

* Provincial information minister says deal was made with Sufi, not Taliban

PESHAWAR: The NWFP government warned Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Muhammad on Tuesday against continued ‘violations’ of the peace deal by Taliban in Swat, urging Sufi to play a “key role” in saving the agreement from collapse. “Whatever is happening (in Swat and Buner districts) is an open violation of the peace deal and enforcement of sharia,” NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told Daily Times in an exclusive interview. He said the violations included the Taliban’s expansion into Buner and their persistence in continuing armed patrols and a parallel administration in Swat.

Come forward: “We made the deal with Sufi Muhammad and not the Taliban, and that is why we are calling on him to come forward and play a key role,” said the minister, who was one of the main negotiators. He said the Awami National Party (ANP) had opted for a peace deal with Sufi Muhammad in spite of public backlash on both domestic and international levels. “We cannot live with violations of the deal as the purpose was peace,” he added. He also warned that the provincial government “reserves the right to use the second option” of military force if the peace deal fails. The Taliban, despite pledging to disarm as part of the peace deal, have continued their parallel administration in Swat and are summoning people to courts. “The Taliban will lose public support by violating the peace deal and that will strengthen the government’s hands,” Hussain added. iqbal khattak

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