Pro-Taliban cleric arrested

PESHAWAR – Pakistani police have detained pro-Taliban cleric Sufi Muhammad, accusing him of helping militants in the country’…

PESHAWAR – Pakistani police have detained pro-Taliban cleric Sufi Muhammad, accusing him of helping militants in the country’s northwest and sabotaging the government’s fight against them, an official said yesterday.

Muhammad, father-in-law of Swat Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah, helped broker a deal between the government and the Taliban in February to end violence in the northwest Swat valley, but the pact collapsed after militants refused to lay down arms and began expanding their influence in districts located nearby.

Security forces subsequently launched an offensive against the militants in Swat and nearby districts nearly three months ago, as the Taliban’s advances raised concerns about the stability of the US ally and the safety of its nuclear weapons.

“We have detained him, as his activities could disturb the law and order situation, and after an inquiry we’ll file cases against him,” said Mian Iftikhar Hussain, information minister of the North West Frontier Province.

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– (Reuters)