MINGORA, March 24: TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Mohammad threatened on Tuesday to wind up his peace camp if the government failed to immediately enforce the Nizam-i-Adl Regulation.

Addressing a press conference at the ‘grassy ground’ in Saidu Sharif, he said he was dissatisfied over what he called slow pace of implementation of the Swat peace accord and said that un-Islamic laws were in force in Malakand even 38 days after the signing of the agreement.The Tehrik Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Mohammadi chief said he supported the agreement but was not satisfied with the process of its implementation. “Judges have been replaced with Qazis. They are reforming the society, but are unable to issue orders or to get their decisions implemented.”

He said the TNSM and the NWFP government had signed the accord on February 16 to enforce the Nizam-i-Adl Regulation and repeal all laws repugnant to Islam in the Malakand division and Kohistan district of Hazara, but un-Islamic laws were still being followed.

Answering a question, Sufi Mohammad said the agreement had not been signed with the federal government or with President Asif Zardari. It was signed with the NWFP government which would be held responsible for its failure.

He said there would be no lasting peace if Sharia was not implemented in the region.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people blocked the Mingora-Matta road for four hours in protest against deployment of security forces in government-run educational institutions.

The protesters were holding placards inscribed with the slogan, “We need schools, not checkposts”.

They said troops had been occupying schools in the area for two years. As a result, they said, thousands of students had been deprived of the opportunity to go to school.

They ended the roadblock after receiving assurance from the chief of the Swat peace jirga and tehsildar of Kabal that troops would vacate schools within three days.
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