TIMERGARA, Oct 31: Provincial chief of Jamaat-i-Islami Sirajul Haq has said that the presence of Nato forces in the region is the root cause of unrest in Swat and other parts of the country.

Talking to Dawn here on Wednesday, he said that acts of terrorism increased in Pakistan after Nato started its activities in the region.

He demanded that the international community should withdraw troops from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Replying to a question, he

said the military operation was launched in Swat immediately after the end of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) government in the NWFP.

“We always preferred talks to using force when we were in power,” he said.

He urged the government to change its policy and hold free and fair elections which, he said, was the only solution to the problem.

Criticising beheading of soldiers, he said they (soldiers) were also children of the nation and therefore should not have been meted out that barbaric treatment.

The Jamaat-i-Islami leader appealed to the leadership of the Malakand division to avoid politics at this critical stage and come forward to play an active role in ending the crisis.