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Swat deal teetering after Army strike

ISLAMABAD: Taliban militants said on Monday their peace deal with the Pakistani government was “worthless” after authorities sent helicopters and artillery against hide-outs of Islamist guerrillas seeking to extend their grip along the Afghan border. Paramilitary troops killed 20 suspected militants on Monday, and a total of 46 had died since the operation began, the Army said.

A spokesman for the Taliban in their Swat Valley stronghold denounced the operation as a violation of the pact and said their fighters were on alert and waiting to see if a hard-line cleric who mediated the deal pronounced it dead.

A spokesman for Sufi Muhammad, who mediated the deal, said the cleric was trapped in his home in the same area of Lower Dir attacked by troops on Friday and that his supporters have been unable to contact him.

Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari called for more foreign support for cash-strapped Pakistan to prevent any danger of its nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of the Al-Qaeda and its allies.

Mr. Zardariinsisted Pakistan’s nuclear weapons were in “safe hands,” but added: “If Pakistan fails, if democracy fails, if the world doesn’t help democracy, then any eventuality is a possibility.”

Mr. Zardari also said Pakistani intelligence thought Osama bin Laden — recently offered sanctuary by militants in the area covered by the peace pact — might be dead, but said there was no evidence of the Al-Qaeda chief’s demise.

In another sign of mounting Western concern, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown held talks in Pakistan on Monday after announcing a new strategy to tackle a “crucible of terrorism” on a visit to Kabul. — AP

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