MINGORA, March 3: The Swat peace accord received another setback on Tuesday when militants killed two security personnel in an ambush in Ronyal village and kidnapped, but released after some time, three NWFP government officials.

The military described the attack on security personnel a violation of the peace agreement, but head of the Tehrik-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Mohammadi Maulana Sufi Mohammad blamed the army for moving around without informing the TNSM.

The army said a captain was wounded in the ambush and two soldiers were killed when they were carrying water from a water channel.

“There absolutely was no violation of the agreement on our part. Our forces were engaged by militants and we did not retaliate,” Inter-Services Public Relations director general Maj Gen Athar Abbas told Dawn.

“Our security forces are threatened, their ration supplies are disrupted and forces are attacked without any provocation. We have been exercising restraint in larger interest of the people and peace in Swat,” he said.

A spokesman of the NWFP government condemned the incident and said that such negative developments could create hurdles for restoration of peace and enforcement of Sharia in Swat.

“We do hope that Maulana Sufi Mohammad will take notice of such activities and reprimand the people who fire upon security forces,” Mian Iftikhar Hussain said.

He insisted that the security forces were not involved in any provocation and assured the people that the government would soon set up qazi courts in Malakand division to enforce the Nizam-i-Adl Regulation.

One official said the escalation was a bad omen for peace in Swat. “The space is getting narrower and narrower. The military may soon reach its threshold. So far they have been exercising restraint, but the next 24 to 48 hours could be very crucial,” he said.

According to the Swat media centre spokesman, the security personnel had come under fire in Ronyal village of Matta, a stronghold of the Taliban. Three personnel, including an officer, were injured and two of them died in hospital, an ISPR press release said, adding that the attack was followed by exchange of fire which continued for an hour. Both sides used heavy weapons.

Security forces fired artillery shells for the first time after a ceasefire was declared in Swat. One mortar shell hit a house, killing a man.

Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said the soldiers were attacked because of their movement in the area without giving prior information. He alleged that the movement of troops was pre-planned and aimed at consolidating their positions.

“This is ridiculous. Will the military seek permission from the Taliban to move around in the area,” the official said. “The forces are supposed to inform the peace committee, but not the Taliban,” he added.

At a press conference in Saidu Sharif, Sufi Mohammad blamed security forces for the incident and said that they had violated the truce.

According to him it had been decided that no side would move till mid-March, except with prior permission of the TNSM. He said it was agreed that whenever the security forces wanted to move they would inform the TNSM in advance to avoid misunderstanding. “The troops didn’t inform us which led to the ill-fated incident,” he said.

He warned that if the ceasefire violation continued, the TNSM would have to come out of the peace process. He alleged that the troops had first violated the truce in Sarsenai and now in Ronyal.

The TNSM, he said, was satisfied with the Taliban activities, but had reservations about the role of security forces in the peace process.

He said the TNSM was in constant touch with the officials who had assured that such incidents would not recur. He said that peace was possible only if both the Taliban and the security forces cooperated.

Meanwhile, provincial director and assistant director of anti-corruption Yamin Khan and Bakht Zada and their aide Hameed were kidnapped near Qamber when they were on way to Mingora from Peshawar.

Suspected militants intercepted their car and took them to an undisclosed location.

They were, however, freed in the evening on Sufi Mohammad’s intervention.
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