THE NWFP government's decision to set up Darul Qaza in Malakand Division and appoint two Peshawar High Court judges as its members, was rejected by the Tehrik Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Muhammadi on the grounds that it had not been consulted, showing no sign of flexibility to let the administration run the restive region smoothly. Declaring the decision unilateral, the TNSM Shoora, which met at its headquarters in Amandara on Sunday with Maulana Sufi Muhammad in the chair, expressed its dissatisfaction over the establishment of Shariah courts. Meanwhile, the spokesman of Tehrik-i-Taliban Swat declared weapons as an ornament of Muslims, keeping which was as essential as paying Zakat. It comes as a rebuttal to NWFP Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain's strongly worded warning that after the establishment of Darul Qaza, nobody would be allowed to carry weapons and violators would be treated as rebels and dealt with sternly. And he had a point in saying that after the setting up of the Shariah courts, the TNSM leadership was now morally obliged to ensure the restoration of peace in the troubled region. Mr Hussain reminded Maulana Sufi Muhammad of his promise to ask the militants to lay down their arms. Giving details of the Shariah courts, he said each one of them, to be set up at tehsil level with a jurisdiction extending to as many as 47 police stations, would be authorized to hear both civil and criminal cases and award imprisonment of up to seven years. The major demand having been met, there is now little justification left for the TNSM to interfere in issues of governance, to obstruct administrative affairs and stop girl students from attending schools and colleges, as rightly pointed out by ANP spokesman Zahid Khan. Talking to the media on Sunday, he said the government would be left with no option other than initiating action against those who tried to break the law. The chances of the TNSM shedding its obduracy however seem bleak, as it wasted no time in rejecting what it termed a unilateral decision. The ANP leadership's assessment that while Sufi Muhammad was abiding by the agreement, he had no control over certain elements who were opposing the restoration of peace, calls into question its decision to strike a deal with a person not having much say. But those who are not ready to shed their stubbornness should not forget that by refusing to surrender their weapons, they would only push the situation to a stage where the government would be compelled to resort to the use of force. They must keep in mind that the responsibility of salvaging the deal lies with them.