Is There Any Justification For Deal With Criminals?
Muhammad Khurshid
September 24, 2007
It seems that terrorists or Taliban are more powerful than the state as Pakistan has been signing deals with them as they have the state. Most of the tribesmen wonder why the criminals and terrorists, who are responsible for the killing of thousands of people, have been given the status of rulers. Signing deals with them as proof that Pakistan has been accepting them as rulers.
Now an editorial of a leading newspaper has opposed the deal with one cliric. It state that A PEACE deal with Maulana Fazlullah was doomed from the moment it was signed by the government. So it comes as no surprise that he has ended it. This controversial cleric from Swat has been preaching violence and hatred through his illegally set up radio station throughout the year. He is responsible for compelling 25,000 parents not to get their children vaccinated against polio during a three-day campaign in April, saying that the vaccine is a western conspiracy aimed at reducing the Muslim population. The government brokered a peace deal with him because it thought it was the only way to ensure stability in the area and the safety of children and girls’ education, whose interests the cleric was not protecting.
However, his activities were not monitored nor did the violence abate. So it was only a matter of time before the cleric returned to targeting women. This was proved true in July when he said that girls’ education was un-Islamic which resulted in 2,000 parents refusing to send their daughters to school in Imam Deri, Swat. However, instead of the government breaking the deal with him then, or reprimanding him for making that irresponsible — not to mention illegal — statement, it was Maulana Fazlullah who ended the agreement on Friday. And he did so because he was angry that his supporters had been arrested by the police for their alleged involvement in terrorist activities. He and his followers are once again a threat to the already fragile law and order in the area.The government has always had many options before it but chose not to exercise any because it does not take such matters seriously. When signing peace deals, it only thinks in the short-term, as we have seen in the case of Waziristan. It allows the situation to escalate to a point of no return as we saw during the Lal Masjid episode. It is time for it to learn from its past experiences and to exert its writ in Swat. It must disband all illegally set up radio stations, apprehend those who are in violation of the law and ensure that they are duly punished.
Meanwhile, a report from Tank said that Militant commander Baitullah Mehsud has agreed to provide safe passage to security forces moving between Jandola and Wana, a tribal negotiator said on Sunday.
Maulana Asamuddin, a member of peace jirga, said that both sides had agreed to take confidence-building measures before the release of soldiers held hostage in the Mehsud-dominated area on Aug 30.
The jirga met militants leaders after a meeting with Political Agent Hussainzada Khan in Wana. Maulana Asamuddin said that jirga members had discussed new proposals with the militants who agreed to provide security to the troops during their movement between Jandola and Wana.
The main road to Wana, the agency headquarters, passes through areas dominated by the Mehsud tribe. He said the militants had assured that security forces could use the road from Sunday. In return, he said, troops would completely withdraw from Sheen Sar and Ghat Sar hilltops where the main switchroom of the telecommunication system was located. The military authorities have, however, told the militants that the shifting of the system from the two strategic outposts would take time.
The End
Now an editorial of a leading newspaper has opposed the deal with one cliric. It state that A PEACE deal with Maulana Fazlullah was doomed from the moment it was signed by the government. So it comes as no surprise that he has ended it. This controversial cleric from Swat has been preaching violence and hatred through his illegally set up radio station throughout the year. He is responsible for compelling 25,000 parents not to get their children vaccinated against polio during a three-day campaign in April, saying that the vaccine is a western conspiracy aimed at reducing the Muslim population. The government brokered a peace deal with him because it thought it was the only way to ensure stability in the area and the safety of children and girls’ education, whose interests the cleric was not protecting.
However, his activities were not monitored nor did the violence abate. So it was only a matter of time before the cleric returned to targeting women. This was proved true in July when he said that girls’ education was un-Islamic which resulted in 2,000 parents refusing to send their daughters to school in Imam Deri, Swat. However, instead of the government breaking the deal with him then, or reprimanding him for making that irresponsible — not to mention illegal — statement, it was Maulana Fazlullah who ended the agreement on Friday. And he did so because he was angry that his supporters had been arrested by the police for their alleged involvement in terrorist activities. He and his followers are once again a threat to the already fragile law and order in the area.The government has always had many options before it but chose not to exercise any because it does not take such matters seriously. When signing peace deals, it only thinks in the short-term, as we have seen in the case of Waziristan. It allows the situation to escalate to a point of no return as we saw during the Lal Masjid episode. It is time for it to learn from its past experiences and to exert its writ in Swat. It must disband all illegally set up radio stations, apprehend those who are in violation of the law and ensure that they are duly punished.
Meanwhile, a report from Tank said that Militant commander Baitullah Mehsud has agreed to provide safe passage to security forces moving between Jandola and Wana, a tribal negotiator said on Sunday.
Maulana Asamuddin, a member of peace jirga, said that both sides had agreed to take confidence-building measures before the release of soldiers held hostage in the Mehsud-dominated area on Aug 30.
The jirga met militants leaders after a meeting with Political Agent Hussainzada Khan in Wana. Maulana Asamuddin said that jirga members had discussed new proposals with the militants who agreed to provide security to the troops during their movement between Jandola and Wana.
The main road to Wana, the agency headquarters, passes through areas dominated by the Mehsud tribe. He said the militants had assured that security forces could use the road from Sunday. In return, he said, troops would completely withdraw from Sheen Sar and Ghat Sar hilltops where the main switchroom of the telecommunication system was located. The military authorities have, however, told the militants that the shifting of the system from the two strategic outposts would take time.
The End
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