By IRNA,
Peshawar : Pakistani government in the country’s northwest and local Taliban on Wednesday signed agreement, under which Taliban will stop suicide attacks and the army will be gradually withdrawn from the Swat valley, a provincial minister said.
The two sides signed a 15-point deal to implement Islamic Shariat system and the Taliban will give up militancy and will accept the writ of the federal and provincial governments, senior provincial government Bashir Ahmed Bilor said.
Mr Bilor led the government’s team in the negotiations with the followers of militant leader Maulana Fazallah in the restive Swat valley.
Hundreds of people, including security forces, have been killed in suicide attacks, bomb blasts and fighting since the army launched a major operation against the militants in November last year.
Under the agreement Shariat court will be set up in Swat and the adjoining Malakand area of the North West frontier province.
Taliban will end militancy and expel foreign militants from the area and those foreigners who will not obey the agreement will be handed over to the government, according the agreement.
Mr Bilor read out contents of the agreement at a press conference.
He said compensation will be given to all those who have been affected during the violence and a committee will determine the losses.
Taliban will allow polio team to administer polio drops to the children, which was banned by them as they considered polio as un-Islamic and a conspiracy to stop child birth.
There will be no display of weapons in public by the Taliban and they will not kidnap security personnel and government employees.
The agreement says that Taliban will abolish their training centers in the areas and will get license for FM radio station.
Cases will be withdrawn against the militant leaders and arrested militants will be freed within 2 weeks, the agreement says.
The center of the militants, known as ‘Mam Dheri’, will be converted into an Islamic University to be run by a committee including Taliban representatives and government officials as well as ministers and members of parliament.
The agreement was delayed as Taliban had been insisting that the Mam Dheri center be handed over to them, according to sources.
A committee will monitor the implementation of the agreement, the provincial minister said.
To a question about the fate of the militant leader Maulana Fazalullah, the provincial minister said that the decision will be taken later.