Swat peace agreement will not affect Pak's resolve to fight terrorism: Haroon

New York, Feb 20 (ANI): Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Nations, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, has said that the Swat peace agreement will not affect his country's resolve to fight terrorism.

Addressing a gathering at the New York University on Tuesday night, Haroon said the accord between the NWFP Government and the Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi should not be taken as a "paradigm shift" in Islamabad's position on the struggle to rid its soil of terrorism.

He said President Asif Ali Zardari had clearly stated that he would not sign the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation unless peace is restored in the valley, the Daily Times reported.

Enforcement of sharia was within the framework of Pakistan's constitution, and did not contradict its provisions, Haroon said.

He added that former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, as well as former President Pervez Musharraf, had accepted the people's demand to enforce sharia in the valley.

Haroon dispelled the impression that sharia was in anyway tantamount to terrorism.

Referring to the situation along the Pak-Afghan border, he said the United States (US) had created a vacuum that turned the erstwhile anti-Soviet fighters into Taliban by abandoning Afghanistan after the defeat of the Soviet Union.

To a question, the ambassador said he believed that the situation along the border could be tackled through a mechanism of joint command on each side.

On ties with Afghanistan, Haroon said the government of Pakistan had good relations with Afghanistan that were helping foster better understanding for a concerted effort to fight terrorism. (ANI)