PESHAWAR: Maulana Faqir Mohammad, a wanted leader of the banned Tanzim Nifaz Shariat-i-Mohammadi (TNSM) in Bajaur Agency, has expressed his group's readiness to hold talks with the government to ensure peace and stability in Bajaur.
| He wants the same kind of safe area setup they've got in North Wazoo, of course. TNSM is the Bajaur version of the Wazoo Taliban... |
In a phone call to The News from an undisclosed location, he said the government did the right thing by concluding a peace agreement with tribal Islamic militants in North Waziristan. He recalled that similar agreements signed earlier in South Waziristan made that region peaceful and stable.
| That's a fluid concept in Pasthtun country, of course... |
"The government should consider constituting a grand tribal jirga to hold talks with Islamic groups in Bajaur Agency for removing misconceptions and restoring durable peace in the area," he stressed. Maulana Faqir Mohammad, who has been accused of harbouring foreign militants in Bajaur Agency, said he and his men didn't want to fight the Pakistan Army or other law-enforcement agencies. "We are all Muslims and Pakistanis. We want peace and development in Bajaur and are willing to go the extra length to make that possible," he remarked.
| "Them thar furriners and infidels is a diff'rent story, o' course!" |
He felt the weak jirga system in Bajaur due to the self-serving attitude of Maliks was also a hurdle in negotiating a solution to the problems in the Bajaur tribal region.
| "Hrarrr! Maliks! Liars an' thieves, the lot of 'em!" |
The Maulana rejected US media claims that Osama bin Laden could be hiding in Bajaur. He said there were no signs of his presence in Bajaur. "Such reports are like shooting in the dark. The US wants to keep Pakistan government under pressure through a campaign of disinformation," he argued.
| "Da witnesses is all dead!" |
In reply to a question, Maulana Faqir Mohammad expressed his ignorance about the motives behind the roadside bomb attack that killed a female employee of NCHD and injured three of her colleagues in Bajaur. He said he had no idea as to would have done this. |