Pro-Taliban Group Warns of ‘Storm’ in Pakistan If Truce Ends
Bloomberg.com
By Farhan Sharif and Khalid Qayum
April 28 (Bloomberg) —“The peace accord has weakened and is shaky,” Rizwanullah Farooq, a spokesman for Tehrik-e-Nifaaz Shariat Muhammadi, said by telephone from Swat Valley today. “If it breaks, there will be a storm in the whole country,” The group suspended peace talks with the government
yesterday to protest an assault by troops that forced local residents to flee the area.
The accord that was reached between the Pakistan government and the group led by Sufi Muhammad is on the verge of collapse after the two sides traded accusations of violating the agreement. The U.S. has criticized the accord and demanded that the government step up the operation against militants.
… The government says Taliban militants are trying to expand their control beyond Swat into neighboring districts. Incursions into Buner, which is one of seven districts where the government introduced Islamic law in return for an end to fighting, brought Taliban guerrillas within 100 kilometers (60 miles) of Islamabad.
… President Barack Obama, who has made tackling extremism in Pakistan and Afghanistan the central focus of U.S. foreign policy, is pressing the government in Islamabad to crack down on militants. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week accused nuclear-armed Pakistan of “abdicating” to the Taliban and said the deterioration of security in the country poses a “mortal threat” to the safety of the U.S. and the world.
President Asif Ali Zardari has rejected such criticism and said his country and the U.S. must continue to work together to combat extremism.
On April 14, Zardari approved the introduction of Islamic law in the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas, which include the districts of Swat, Buner, Chitral, Shangla, Upper Dir, Lower Dir and Malakand. Together, they make up 40 percent of the land area of North West Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan.
Pro-Taliban Group Warns of Storm in Pakistan If Truce Ends – Bloomberg.com.
Related posts:
- “Pakistan Defends Spy Agency Amid U.S. Reports It Aids Taliban”
- Suspected US DRONE Missile attack kills 13 in Sovereign Pakistan
- Pakistani Taliban threatens attack on White House
- Petraeus: Military Reserves ‘Right of Last Resort’ for Threats Inside Pakistan
- “We Need to Substantially Increase Our Military” in Pakistan
