Sharia law to be enforced in Swat Valley, Pakistan
The Taliban offered peace in Swat, northern Pakistan—for a price.
The head of the hardline Tahreek Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM) group and spiritual leader of Taliban militants in Swat, Sufi Mohammad, says he will ensure an end to fighting if the government enforces Sharia law in the region.
It’s a deal, say government officials, and Taliban terrorists celebrate by taking a break from blowing up schools.
Taleban fighters in north-west Pakistan’s restive Swat valley have announced a 10-day ceasefire.
The move came after local officials signed a deal with a militant leader to enforce Islamic law in the district.
The ceasefire halts fighting between Pakistani security forces and Taleban militants in Swat that has raged since November 2007.
Pakistan is increasingly threatened by Islamist fighters, and this agreement will do nothing to inhibit them. Taliban clerics like Sufi Mohammed will be watching to ensure that the government properly enforces their brand of Islamic law. If not, they will want to do the job themselves.
Tens of thousands of Pakistanis have fled areas afflicted by hostilities.
Jalozai camp, which until nine months ago accommodated Afghan refugees, is now home to thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Bajaur Agency, northwestern Pakistan, where government troops have been fighting militants.
Misery is perceptible everywhere in the 3,500-tent camp, about 35km southwest of Peshawar.
Unless they want to live under Sharia, these IDPs have nowhere to go.
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