Operation on, 20 more militants die in Dir - TNSM suspends peace talks

Tariq Saeed




Peshawar-As the Para-military forces killed yet another 20 alleged militants in Lower Dir on Monday taking the death toll to over forty in two days, the Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah-e-Mohammadi (TNSM) has announced suspension of peace talks with the government as a protest over the operation kicked off against the militants in Dir on Sunday.




Frontier Corps NWFP Monday claimed to have killed 40 militants in last two days operation and regained control of Lal Qila after flushing out the militants from Maidan valley, the home town of TNSM Chief Maulana Soofi Mohammad, in Dir Lower District.




The Spokesman of TNSM, Ameer Izzat Khan announcing the suspension of peace talks said the operation initiated by the security forces in Lower Dir was a sheer violation of the peace deal inked between his organization and the government. "Hence all kind of parleys would remain suspended till the time Army withdraws from Dir district", he told media in Swat.




Reports from Dir District said the security forces backed by the artillery and the gunship helicopters struck hard on the militants positions from Timergra cantonment inflicting heavy losses on them. The security forces official said that Frontier Corps launched an operation against the militants in Lower Dir after militants killed a soldier in ambush.




"Important Commanders of militants Maulana Shahid and Qari Quash have been killed in the operation code named" Toar Tander-I".




The militants used heavy weapons including mortars, snipers and PRG-7. Security forces were supported by Armour, Artillery and Aviation. Troops of the Frontier Corps fought with courage and caused immense damage to the militants.Search and cordon operation were conducted in Maidan Valley on Monday .




The Tehrik-e-Nafaz-e-Shariah Mohammadi (TNSM) spokesman Amir Izzat Khan said our council of leaders met on Sunday night and decided to suspend peace negotiations with the government in NWFP as the peace deal applied to the entire Malakand Division and Dir is part of Malakand ". adding "We, however, still adhere to the February deal that put three million people under Shariah law and for which we struggled a lot".




Meanwhile The NWFP Minister for Information and Public Relations Mian Iftikhar Hussein has clarified that there was no operation going on in the Dir Lower District rather it was retaliation to the attack by miscreants on the security forces.




He further said that the armed forces are present in Malakand Division purely to maintain peace and harmony and the action taken in Dir Lower the previous day was a part of the peace efforts.




Talking to Media men in Timergara headquarters of Dir Lower District, the Information Minister clarified that some miscreants had attack the security forces while they were moving to search the culprits involved in the assassination of DPO and former District Nazim to which the forces responded adding such actions were unavoidable to maintain the writ of the government in troubled areas.




The Minister maintained that he had the information about the action of security forces at Dir Lower. He said that taking up arms after the enforcement of Nizam-e-Adl Regulation (NAR) bore no justification and whosoever tries to establish parallel government would be discouraged by the government which was its constitutional responsibility.




He said that the government was trying to fully enforce NAR as soon as possible and would leave no stone unturned in that connection.




Mian Iftikhar said the peace talks between the government and TNSM have been concluded successfully and even the Qazi courts were functioning in the region and if some body suspends the talks , that is not going to affect the enforcement of Nizam-e-Adl Regulation.