Sat, 04 Apr 2009 02:05:56 GMT
Violence in northwest Pakistan continues, making the term 'peace agreement' a misnomer for a deal signed between the Taliban and the local government.
On Friday, militants blew up a state-run radio station and took away all its equipment, while destroying a security check post in South Waziristan Agency in northwest Pakistan.
Local residents and officials told Press TV that dozens of gunmen attacked the radio station in Wana, the main town in South Waziristan Agency on Friday.
"They took away all the equipment before blowing up the building with explosives,” officials said adding that radio transmission in the area was suspended after the attack.
However, no human loss was reported in the attack as no one was present in the station at the time of the attack, Press TV said.
This was the third attack on the radio station in Wana. The facility was first attacked in 2004 shortly after the station became operational. The attack was followed by another one in 2006.
The radio station was transmitting six-and-a-half hours of programming in the local Pashto language. The programs included sports and news about regional developments.
The station had stopped broadcasting news and music programs two years ago after receiving threats from the Taliban, but later re-launched all of its programs.
Such attacks by militants in this North West Frontier Province (NWFP) are continuing despite the peace agreement, which seem to have consolidated the Taliban influence.
The 'peace agreement', signed on February 16, between Pakistan's North West Frontier Province government and pro-Taliban cleric Sufi Mohammed, promised to impose Islamic law (Sharia) in the country's war-torn Swat Valley and put an end to violence in the region.
Had the Pakistani government been able to use the peace deal to secure a foothold in Swat, introducing a strong administrative structure that could provide a reasonable level of governance, the move could have been justified.
However, the militants have instead outsmarted both the government and the military, launching more attacks while enjoying the bonuses given to them as part of the deal, which allows them to have their own judicial and tax systems.
From:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=90404§ionid=351020401It's interesting to see the Iranian press' take on what's going on, seeing as it's all happening right next door to them. In addition, today's stories from Pakistan in the LBN forum add weight to this article's title.
My greatest fear is that Pakistan's nukes are increasingly likely to fall into the wrong hands if the country continues to spiral out of control...
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