Thursday, May 22, 2008

Pakistan makes peace deal to end pro-Taliban violence

Declan Walsh in Islamabad

The Guardian, Thursday May 22 2008

The Pakistani government has agreed to withdraw troops and introduce Sharia law in the conflict-ravaged Swat valley in return for an end to Taliban suicide bombings and attacks on government buildings.

The peace deal was signed yesterday by the newly elected government of North-West Frontier Province and representatives of the extremist cleric Maulvi Fazlullah, whose fighters battled the army last year.

The breakthrough represents a coup for the government, which is eager to end militant violence, but will be warily regarded by the US, which advocates a strong hand against the Taliban.

The US deputy secretary of state, John Negroponte, told senators in Washington on Tuesday that any agreement was "something we're going to have to watch very carefully".

The Swat valley, an area of mountains and lush fields, became a battle zone last year after the army tried to tame Fazlullah's increasingly bold militants. The deal concedes several of their demands.

Continued . . .

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