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June 06, 2008
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Friday
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Jamadi-us-Sani 01, 1429
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64 Swat ‘militants’ freed in Timergara
By Haleem Asad
TIMERGARA, June 5: Following a peace accord singed by the government with the Tehrik-i-Taliban in Swat, 64 suspected militants were released from Timergara’s district jail on Thursday.
Official sources told Dawn that among the freed militants were some key figures of Taliban, such as Maulvi Liaqat Ali, Maulana Khalid, Irshad Ali, Hayat Khan, Abid, Fayazud Din and Umar Hayat. They had been arrested during a military operation from Matta, Kabal, Mingora and other areas of Swat.
The sources claimed that during talks with the militants in Peshawar, the government had agreed to release some suspected militants unconditionally. According to them, the government is likely to release some more members of the Tehrik on Friday.
Taliban representatives have welcomed the gesture and renewed their pledge not to be a part of any group fighting military forces and to honour the peace accord reached with the NWFP government.
Our Correspondent from Mingora adds: A meeting between local Taliban leaders and government officials was held here to discuss the progress made on various clauses of the peace accord.
The Taliban team included Haji Muslim Khan, spokesman of Maulana Fazlullah, Ali Bakht and Memood Khan, while the government was represented by MPA Dr Shamsher Ali, Swat DCO Shaukat Khan Yousafzai, DPO Waqif Khan and RCO A. Karim.
Shaukat Khan Yousafzai told Dawn after the meeting that the government had complained to Taliban about some elements patrolling various areas in Swat and threatening owners of CD shops and barbers.
Muslim Khan said that he and some other members of the Taliban committee would visit the areas to check the activities of such elements. He said they would meet representatives of various groups to inform them about the peace accord. He assured that if they were their men they would not indulge in sabotage activities and if they belonged to groups opposing the accord they would be dealt with sternly.
Muslim Khan said Taliban were satisfied with the peace process.
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