By IANS,
New Delhi : India’s ruling Congress Thursday termed the peace deal inked with the Taliban in Pakistan’s restive northwest as a “serious threat to civilization”.
“The space provided by the Pakistan government (to the Taliban) in the Swat valley is the most serious threat to civilization specially in Asia. The issue is very serious and steps like this will provoke fundamentalism elsewhere is the world as well,” Congress general secretary M. Veerappa Moily said.
The Pakistani government had Monday approved a peace deal between the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) administration and the Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) of radical cleric Sufi Muhammad under which Shariat law would be introduced in seven districts of the province, including the Swat valley the Taliban controls.
The cleric is currently in Swat for talks with his son-in-law Maulana Fazlullah, who heads the local Taliban in the area.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who Sunday gave the go-ahead for signing the deal, said he would endorse it only if the Taliban laid down their arms and peace returned to the region.
“Taliban is a threat to mankind and they have no faith in the democracy,” said Moily.
New Delhi is concerned that the deal with the Taliban, widely seen as a concession to militants, will provide a safe haven to militants and can pose a threat to India’s security.