Taliban militants signed a peace agreement with the government on Tuesday, pledging not to launch cross-border attacks in Afghanistan and not to shelter foreign fighters, officials said. The peace deal aims to end two years of violence in North Waziristan, where hundreds of people have died in clashes between security forces and Taliban militants. The Taliban had been observing a unilateral ceasefire since June. Taliban representative Azad Khan and North Waziristan chief administrator Dr Fakhar-e-Alam signed the agreement at the football stadium of Government Degree College in Miranshah, in the presence of army commander Major General Azhar Ali Shah. “Misunderstandings between the administration and Taliban led to unpleasant moments, but we are happy that a new beginning starts today,” MNA Maulana Nek Zaman of the MMA said at the ceremony, witnessed by around 500 tribesmen. A 10-member committee of tribal elders, clerics and administration officials was set up to monitor the progress and implementation of the agreement, a government statement read.Under the agreement, the Taliban accepted the government demand that cross-border attacks would not be launched nor foreign militants sheltered. They also agreed not to attack government buildings or security forces, and not to conduct “target killings” of government servants, tribal elders and journalists. In return, the government agreed to stop air and ground operations; return all weapons and other material seized during operations; restore privileges of tribesmen; and remove all check-posts. “It was the toughest jirga I ever participated in,” Malik Shehzada said of the 45-member jirga that negotiated the agreement with militant commanders over several weeks.
Shahzaman Khan, spokesman for the NWFP governor’s FATA Secretariat, said the two parties “expressed their firm resolve to abide by all the conditions laid down in the agreement for establishment of an enduring peace in the tribal areas, particularly in North Wazirstan Agency.”