The Pakistan government has signed a deal with the pro taliban Maulana Sufi Mohammad to enforce Islamic laws in a northwestern region. The deal followed talks between ministers in the troubled North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and a local militant leader, Sufi Mohammad, on formalising the implementation of Islamic law. The deal will cover Pakistan’s Malakand area, one of the districts of NWFP, which includes the Swat valley, and home to around three million of the estimated 20 million people who live in the northwest province.

Swat was a jewel in the crown of Pakistani tourism frequently visited by foreign and local holidaymakers escaping to the mountains for skiing in winter or cooler climates in the punishing heat of summer in other parts of Pakistan. However,  the region was engulfed by chaos after radical cleric Mullah Fazlullah embarked on a campaign to enforce Taliban-style sharia law.

Teh provincial information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told reporters in Peshawar, “Today an agreement has been signed between the government of NWFP and Maulana Sufi Mohammad. All laws against sharia will be abolished and sharia will be enforced under this justice system.”

The militants vowed to disarm once Islamic justice came into practice.

A senior follower of Maulana Sufi Mohammad, Mohammad Iqbal Khan said, “We are satisfied. When sharia is implemented practically, people will lay down their arms. We will soon convene a meeting of our shura (consultative council) after which Sufi Mohammad will visit Swat and convince the Taliban there to disarm.”

Pakistan, under massive western pressure to clamp down on extremists, has deployed its army to try to flush out the insurgents and regain control of Swat. The government has held that negotiations are the best hope of restoring peace though all such past deals have collapsed rapidly.

It might be a first step towards restoring peace in troubled northeastern areas of Pakistan. Most probably, both parties are acting for a better and peaceful new era free from any insurgency and terrorism. However, will it be a successful deal in achieving its goal of peace in the area will depend on how quickly the elements with vested interest are rooted out of the area. Drone missile attacks by USA are one of such factors, if not stopped, will sobatage the deal very easily. There is understandably going to strong opposition from other countries, however, it is Pakistan who has to decide wether keep on killing its own people or restore peace?

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