Ceasefire agreed in Pakistan's Swat

02/03/2009| IslamWeb

Pro-Taliban fighters in Pakistan have agreed to a "permanent ceasefire" in Pakistan's northwestern Swat valley, a senior government official has said.

 

Saturday's development follows talks between local officials and a group headed by Maulana Sufi Mohammad, a cleric favoring the implementation of Sharia, or Islamic law, in the area.

 

"They have made a commitment that they will observe a permanent ceasefire and we'll do the same," Syed Mohammad Javed, the commissioner of Malakand, a region of Northwest Frontier Province, said.

 

Pro-Taliban fighters had last week announced a 10-day truce in the region after the government accepted the cleric's demands and agreed to introduce Sharia in the region.

 

The cleric is the father-in-law of Maulana Fazlullah, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban.

 

PHOTO CAPTION

 

Supporters of pro-Taliban cleric arrive in Mingora, in the Swat valley of Pakistan on Saturday, Feb 21, 2009.

 

Al-Jazeera