ISLAMABAD: The government feels that outlawed Tehrik Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM) chief Maulana Sufi Mohammad and the Taliban are under immense pressure for the first time because of the ongoing military operation in Buner and Dir, which would not be eased till the armed militants were largely taken care of.
“The first and foremost demand of Sufi Mohammad and the Taliban to halt the operation would not be accepted. Rather, the pressure on the Taliban would be sustained,” an official told The News.
He said there was no possibility of stopping the current drive against the armed militants unless they laid down their arms and fulfilled their written commitment to restore peace in the Malakand Division.
Another official said the pressure that the operation had exerted on the TNSM chief and the Taliban was evident from their steps and they were now not as high flying as they used to be. He said the process of dialogue being conducted by the NWFP government with Sufi Mohammad and the Taliban representatives would continue in the light of the peace agreement but the military operation would not be terminated.
The official said since the NWFP government was fully on board in starting the operation, it had not been too much ìsubmissiveî to the Taliban demands now. He said ironically whenever the Taliban were given ìconcessionsî by reducing the intensity of the operation or reduction in deployment of paramilitary troops or the Pakistan Army personnel, they regrouped to continue their illegal activities, rather than doing their bit to revive peace in the troubled valley.
This time, he said, the official resolve was to break the armed wing of the Taliban and take or destroy their arms and weapons. He said the fate of the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation (NAR) depended on the attitude of the Taliban. If they put aside their arms and restored peace, there was no threat to the NAR, he added.
The official said the strong operation had brought the Taliban to their senses and they now realised that more use of force was in store if they did not mend their ways. He said the Taliban had got the message that the operation was intended to convey.
He said the government was satisfied over the fact that every political or religious force of Pakistan was totally disappointed with the Taliban who, after the enforcement of the NAR, transgressed in Buner and Shangla, making fun of the writ of the government.
The official said it was encouraging that every political and religious force worth the name was totally alienated from the Taliban. This, he said, has resulted in a rare consensus in Pakistan for the powerful operation against the Taliban in Dir and Buner. On its part, the official said, the NWFP government would continue to persuade the TNSM chief and the Taliban to come to terms as it was ready to implement the NAR in letter and spirit.
He said the NWFP government would name the Qazis as provided for in the NAR. They would be duly appointed judicial officers, who would possess degrees from the International Islamic University, Islamabad, or any other institution imparting training in Uloom-e-Shariah and recognised as such by the government.
The official said the TNSM or the Taliban had no room in the NAR to recommend any names for Qazis. He said the Darul Qaza, which would work in the Malakand Division, would be a bench of the Peshawar High Court and the Darul Darul Qaza a bench of the Supreme Court under the NAR.
He said regardless of the ìinformal consentî of the TNSM, the provincial government would go ahead with appointing Qazis to fulfill its part of the deal. He said Sufi Mohammadís description of the Supreme Court as un-Islamic was a clear violation of the NAR to which the TNSM and the Taliban had agreed before its promulgation.
The government believes that it would be able to clear the mess in Buner and Dir in a couple of weeks. The Pakistan Army, which is carrying out the operation, not only enjoys massive domestic support for it but the United States has also appreciated the drive and wants the military to continue it.
Earlier, Washington was staunchly opposed to the peace deal and promulgation of the NAR in the Malakand Division and also pressed for the use of force to crush the militancy.
Taliban under pressure as military operation continues
I think the qazi should also have a science degree.
