[Reader-list] Swat - Paradise Lost

[Pawan Durani]

Swat the most beautiful land in the South Asian Region other than Kashmir,
where the peaks overlooking the valley were covered in snow, as what was the
countryside as you drive along the partly frozen Swat River. People happily
recalling their various trips to this magical valley in which one would
enjoy its lush green land, the scenic beauty of the vegetated woodlands, the
dry fruits trees with all its fruits dangling from the branches, the aroma
of blooming flowers, the herbal medicinal aura and the hospitable people who
live there. Today one would be sadly sorry for all those who can no longer
venture out there! But apart from the many tourists who would forever be
denied the beauty of this place, I pity the people of Swat who have been so
badly let down by the Pakistani state and its people. Tens of thousands have
been forced to flee their homes, as Swat descends deeper and deeper into
chaos and despair everyday.

'Mullah Radio' was the name given to Maulana Fazlullah for his daily FM
broadcasts in which he calls, among the other things; for people to stop
their children from getting anti-polio shots. According to him, the
government teams going around immunizing children against this dreaded
disease are actually making them sterile. The Muslim Ummah is being
subjugated to the evils of the Yahoudhi (Jew) lobbies??? Terrified, the
paramedics halted their efforts in Swat. As they are scathed, beaten and
even kidnapped for ransom from the International Donors to finance their
Jihads for Islam.

Many intellectuals had written to the Pakistani Government, that they should
immediately put a stop to the maulana's illegal broadcasts. But this was
before 9/11, at a time when President Musharraf was wooing the mullahs and
the jihadis for his and his government's own benefits. So Mullah Radio and
his band of merry men kind, gathered strength and gained supporters,
confident that the authorities would not lay a finger on them. And now that
push has finally come to shove, the Pak Army has discovered that it does not
have the muscle to displace these militants who have taken over Swat
completely.

In a sobering article last week in a local newspaper, Zubeida
Mustafaunderlined the plight of the people of Swat, and asked "why
there were no
large protests against the killers who were terrorizing the valley". Why not
indeed? It is a sad fact that while we Pakistanis are (rightly) incensed
over the recent assault on Gaza by the Israelis, and other attacks on
Muslims by non-Muslims in the Kashmir region, we choose to turn a blind eye
by even worse Muslim-on-Muslim atrocities.

Thus, most editorial writers, columnists and TV commentators reserve their
fury and invectiveness for western targets, while glossing over what Muslims
are actually doing to their fellow Muslim countrymen.

In Swat, there have been grisly beheadings and public executions. Every
evening, Shah Doran broadcasts names on the militant hit-list, presumably on
Mullah Radio's old FM frequency. When some journalist asked at a news
briefing by the Pak Army's version of the story was that 'we cannot jam the
signal of Mullah Radio's FM frequency, as we do not have the required latest
jamming instruments". The American Government has been financing Pakistan on
"War on Terror" since 9/11 with logistics, intelligence and even the latest
technology support. This is all bullshit! Imagine the Pak Army does
not the required
instruments???? Whom are they fooling?

"Nearly 260 girls' schools have been blown up or torched. Scores of video
rental shops and hair-cutting establishments have been attacked and forced
to shut down. Women dare not leave their homes, and more than 80,000 girls
have been deprived of an education!!!

Currently, some 4,000 militants are battling 12,000 troops for control of
the valley, and thus far, the terrorists are winning. According to reporters
who have been covering the conflict, the Pak Army has been reluctant to
engage the enemy, preferring to lob artillery shells in the general
direction of militant redoubts in the mountains. As soon as night falls, our
soldiers retreat into their camps while the jihadis rule the valley. In
their ranks are a large number of fighters with Central Asian features.

If this situation has been allowed to develop in Swat, an integral part of
the North Western Frontier Province, and not a tribal area, imagine what
things must be like in Waziristan and Mohmand agencies. Clearly, things are
rapidly spinning out of control, and the government cannot establish its
writ over large parts of the country. Many efforts have been made to engage
the terrorists in dialogues. Each one has failed as the jihadis, sensing the
weakness of the Pakistani state, and thriving on the support they get from
so many TV talk-show hosts and their guests, go for the jugular.

It is only natural for the PM's adviser on interior affairs to keep his
cards close to his chest. Divulging the details of the government's 'new
strategy' for combating militancy in Swat might make us wiser in terms of
what lies ahead but would also give the Taliban advance knowledge of future
operations. But such secrecy comes at a price. Not knowing the details, the
public can ask whether Thursday's assurance that militancy in Swat will be
quelled in the next few weeks can really be taken as read. Is Rehman Malik's
statement, a reflection of a paradigm shifts in counter-insurgency tactics
or is he simply buying time? How will the security apparatus succeed now
when so many attempts have failed in the past? Will a renewed push by the
military deliver the goods in a situation that is dire and in which the
state is often seen as cowering in the face of the militants' brazen
disregard of its writ? Has it finally sunk in that deals have been struck
from a position of weakness, such as the Swat peace talks of May 2008, can
never be successful? Such pacts signed by nerveless hands simply allow the
Taliban to regroup and inflict further misery on the long-suffering people
of Swat, and by extension the nation of Pakistan. With the exception of
Maulana Fazlullah and his band of militants, most of them are outsiders. The
entrepreneurial people of Swat who depend on tourism for a living desire
deliverance from the scourge of Talibanization. Will we come to their aid
when they need the most?

Nobody knows what lies ahead. The battle can be won or lost in Swat but
defeat is simply not an option. The details of the 'new strategy' may be
hazy but one thing is certain: the Pakistani government, its people and the
military must be on the same page if the common enemy is to be overcome! The
Talibans in Swat, a settled district, take cover behind human shields,
behind innocent men, women and children. The Pak Army has understandably
come in for flak for the 'collateral damage' caused in the pursuit of
militants, most notably from politicians based in the NWFP. Instead of
shelling residential areas, the militants need to be flushed out and taken
on one-to-one. This will require more boots on the ground.

The Taliban do not outnumber the soldiers of the Pakistan Army. The
extremists, our enemies, constitute so small a minority of the population
that their impact should be negligible. But that is clearly not the case.
They have the upper hand as we speak and need to be dealt a telling blow.
This has to be done, for negotiating peace with the obscurantist's is
possible only from a position of strength. Without wanting to cast doubts on
the courage of the soldiers engaged in a difficult battle, I must question
the tactics being deployed. Counter-insurgency operations are now a central
part of the training many armies impart. But we have stuck to conventional
warfare training, based on the assumption that our enemy is India. This
one-dimensional approach has failed to equip our officers and soldiers with
the tactics to beat the irregular but well-equipped forces they now face
across the NWFP.

But more than the inadequate military preparations that have handicapped
Pakistan in the fight-back against the jihadis; it is the lack of a
political consensus. With the country's two biggest political parties, the
PPP and the PML-N, locked in a bitter power struggle, those in power have
little time to focus on the real danger facing Pakistan.

For its part, the media seems to be united on only one thing: hostility
towards the West, and specifically, on criticism of the American drone
attacks against militant targets in FATA –Federally Administered Tribal
Agency. The truth few Pakistanis are willing to face is that almost every
such missile attack has killed and wounded militants, both foreign and
home-grown. And while there have been a number of civilians killed and hurt,
this is the unfortunate price for providing shelter to terrorists. If this
sounds callous, ponder over the alternatives: who else would go after these
killers? As our army has demonstrated time and again, it has neither the
capability, nor the intelligence, to rid us of these killers.

The Pakistani government must change its strategy to deal with the issue as
the present one has completely failed. The army as well as political
leadership must act in unison to recapture the territory and the authority
lost to these militants. The underscored need for armed forces and the
intelligence agencies need to respond to the allegations that the Taliban
outfits still enjoy support within the establishment. The government does
not have any strategy to deal with the problem. When the government has
never taken the nation into confidence on these issues, how can it develop a
consensus on it?" The parliament should frame a comprehensive National
Security Policy, and that the army should be given a clear cut mission. But
sadly this will never happen. The Muslims are perfectly aware that these
Taliban's are their own people and what they are doing is decreed by the
Holy Quran and by Prophet Mohammed. The current turmoil is a war on the
state of Pakistan. It is not the struggle for Shariah but a war perpetrated
by these elements on humanity!

The 'war on terror' is still surrounded by confusion as to whose war was it?
All those unwilling to submit to the state and refused to become part of
dialogue must be taken on with an iron hand. They must be eliminated. The
correctness at the strategic level is a prerequisite for success in the war
on terror.

Our leaders, both in and out of uniform, have repeatedly said such attacks
are 'counter-productive'. So how about launching some 'productive' attacks
that would convince the Americans (and us Pakistanis) that we are capable of
fighting these jihadis on our own? Again, without wishing to belittle the
courage or the sacrifices of our soldiers, we must recognise that so far,
the war is going very badly for us.

At this stage of the battle, it is too late to pin the blame on the
individuals and institutions responsible for having allowed this situation
to develop. If we wish to turn the tide, different tactics are needed. One
thing that might focus minds is for the army to organize trips to the
battlefield for politicians and journalists. Let them share what the people
of Swat are going through, even if for a couple of days. Perhaps then they
might see where the real danger lies.

* Source not known to me . This was forwarded to me.