NWFP minister says difficult to stop Pak Taliban from burning schools in Swat

Peshawar, Jan 28 (ANI): The NWFP Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education, Sardar Hussain Babak, said that it has become difficult for the government to stop Tehrik-I-Taliban Pakistan from torching and bombing girls schools in the restive Swat Valley.

Commenting on destruction of yet another school by Taliban in Odigram, a suburb of Mingora city, Babak said the government could not stop the destruction of schools when the area people took up arms and wore suicide jackets to torch and bomb their own schools.

He blamed religious parties (JI and JUI-F) for providing moral support to the Taliban in Swat and ignoring the violence with which they treated innocent people of the valley, the Daily Times reported.

"It is easy for leaders of religious parties to blame the provincial government for deteriorating law and order situation. But one should ask JI chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman why they remain silent on terrorist activities of Mullah Fazlullah in Swat district," Babak said.

He said religious parties were protesting against killings in Gaza while ignoring slaughter of Swati people and destruction of their schools at the hands of Fazlullah.

Babak rejected a Taliban call for closure of girls schools, saying no one would be allowed to deprive Pakhtun children of their right to education.

The minister said militants had called for closure of girls' schools in Swat, but the ANP-led provincial government would never surrender to these Taliban.

"The actors are the same and only their tactics have changed. These people (militants) had also misled Pakhtuns through propaganda not to enroll their children in Bacha Khan Welfare Schools. Now they have changed their tactics by destroying schools to deprive Pakhtuns children of education and to push Pakhtuns into ignorance," he said.

"There are winter vacations in Swat schools till March 28. All schools will open on April 1 despite Taliban threats," Babak added. (ANI)