Released cleric's son-in-law rules out truce

Peshawar: A fugitive militant leader yesterday welcomed the release of a prominent pro-Taliban cleric but vowed to continue an armed struggle to press for Islamic law in the country's northwest.

The cleric, Sufi Mohammad, was released on Monday after six years in jail.

The North West Frontier Province (NWFP) government said Mohammad's group had signed a pact renouncing violence in return for permission to pursue a peaceful campaign for Islamic law.

It was the first major step by the new government to talk peace with militants and break with US-backed President Pervez Musharraf's policy of military force.

However, Muslim Khan, a spokesman for Mohammad's son-in-law Maulana Fazlullah, whose supporters battled security forces for control of the northwest's Swat Valley last year, said fighters allied with the wanted militant would not cease their battle.

"We welcome the release of Sufi Mohammad, but we will only lay down arms when the government would enforce Sharia," Khan said.

Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said no decision had been made to withdraw the army from Swat.

Khan said the fighters he spoke for had not seen the text of the accord signed by Mohammad.

Call for practical steps

"We are fighting for the enforcement of Islam. If the government enforces Sharia today, we will stop our struggle," he said. "But we want to see practical steps from the government, and not just the promises."

A court had sentenced Mohammad to 10 years on various charges including illegally possessing a weapon. The provincial government waived the remainder of his sentence on Monday.

Under the agreement, security forces have the right to "act against" any extremists who attack the government.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, meanwhile, described Mohammad's release as "a good confidence-building measure" in the government's efforts to engage with militants who renounce violence. "It's a positive development," he said. "The government would want to give dialogue and reconciliation its utmost full chance but, on the other hand, if we feel that the spirit behind this initiative is not being met, well, then other options are always there."

Balancing out: Divergent ideologies

Sufi Mohammad, believed to be in his 70s, sent thousands to battle the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. His group - Tehrik Nifaz-e-Sharia Mohammad, or the Movement for the Enforcement of Islamic Law - resurfaced under Fazlullah's leadership after his arrest in 2002.

Fazlullah won a large following with firebrand preaching over an illegal FM radio station but alienated others by turning to violence. He tapped into popular frustration over official corruption and failings in the justice system. His group wants a Taliban-like system, including compulsory beards for men, mandatory veils for women and the outlawing of music and television.

But Fazlullah is reportedly at odds with Mohammad, and experts warned the younger militant may be unwilling to change.