Pakistani Taliban in Swat refuse to give up arms

The News International, a Pakistani daily, describes the process by which the sharia regulations (known as the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation) will be implemented. The local government will appoint judges trained in Islamic law, who will oversee local disputes.

The chief minister ruled out fears of some quarters that the new law would prove a parallel judicial system. He said no clause or article was in contravention of the Constitution and there was nothing to worry about for the rights organisations.

[North West Frontier Province Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti] said the system would provide speedy justice and cases would be decided in four to six months. He said concerns of all the sects had been addressed. Responding to a question, the chief minister said the Taliban had already abandoned armed patrolling and there was no justification for the militants to display arms after the promulgation of the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation.

While some locals welcome the implementation and hope that it will bring an end to the fighting, others worry that the deal will create safe havens from which guerrillas can attack Afghanistan and the West. According to a report from Deutsche Presse Agentur, insurgents in the Swat valley are divided between those interested in local causes and Al Qaeda-aligned elements, who want to strike against the West.

On one side, there are Islamist insurgents with local interests. They are led by ... Maulana Fazlullah, who launched an armed campaign against the government in October 2007 for the enforcement of Islamic sharia law in Swat....

The [other] faction consists of foreign fighters and local militants trained by al-Qaeda operatives, who operated in the Afghan region of Tora Bora where Osama bin Laden dodged US forces in early 2002 before going underground.

Led by hardline chief commander Ibn Amin, and six other commanders, the group follows al-Qaeda's 'global jihad' philosophy and has little interest in peace in Swat.

'They know if the peace agreement is fully implemented, al-Qaeda fighters will have to leave the region. This is something they cannot accept,' said [a] lawmaker.

This concerns officials in Washington and Afghanistan. The online Afghan news website Quqnoos reports that the Swat deal will have "horrible impacts" on Afghanistan.

Afghan President's Spokesman, Humayun Hamidzada, told a news conference in Kabul that the peace deal with the Pakistani Taliban harms the security of the region.

Afghan officials said they will share the concerns with the Pakistani government to make sure it will not negatively affect situation in Afghanistan.

It [the peace deal] is the concern of Afghanistan and the international community," said Humayun Hamidzada.

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