Pakistan army vows to hold fire in Swat
Pakistan's military yesterday vowed to hold fire and respect a controversial agreement signed between the government and militants to enforce Islamic law in the violence-torn Swat valley.
"The army works on the government's orders. The government has given it orders to hold fire. The army will not take any offensive action," chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP.
The army will "certainly" respect the agreement, he said.
"The army went there (Swat) at the request of the government. Whenever the government feels normalcy has been restored and the writ of government has been re-established, it will leave," added Abbas.
Monday's deal, widely seen as a government concession but billed by the authorities as a chance to restore peace to Swat, was signed between provincial ministers and a pro-Taliban but relatively moderate cleric, Soofi Mohammad.
Meanwhile, a car bomb killed five people and wounded 13 on Tuesday near the home of a town councillor critical of militants in northwestern Pakistan, police officials said.
The device detonated near a wing used by Fahim-ur-Rehman to entertain guests in the suburban town of Bazidkhel, just outside the city of Peshawar, the officials said.
"Five people were killed and 13 wounded when a bomb planted in a car exploded outside the guest house of Fahim-ur-Rehman," local police official Granullah Khan told AFP. He said earlier that three people were killed.
"The injured have been taken to a local hospital," he said.
"Rehman was at home at the time of the blast but is safe," police officer Liaqat Khan said.
Rehman is strongly opposed to Taliban militants and was instrumental in setting up a local force last month to check militant activities.
Police said the blast destroyed a nearby primary school and two houses. Two outer walls of Rehman's house were also damaged.
Comments