" it is imperative that steps should be taken to awaken the feeling of nationalism in Pakistani nation."
Swat Situation: The Unfolding Crisis
Solutions for the Suffering of the Displaced in Swat Muhammad Rehan Zafar Monday, May 18, 2009
The serene valley of Swat that was once the hub of tourism industry in Pakistan is now a war zone. The crisis has deepened with the displacement of 1.5 million people who have lost everything they owned and are now refugees in their own country. Many people think that this situation is the climax of this crisis but the real climax and the real crisis perhaps still lingers in the future if measures are not taken to avert it.
The early signs of this crises appeared in Oct 2005 when several formally banned Jihadist outfits infiltrated in the area under the premise of relief efforts. It could not be ascertained that how many militants entered in the area during this time. Over the next two years these militants were able to gain strength due to preoccupation of government in South Waziristan and other tribal Areas. The problems for the local population were compounded by slow rehabilitation process and destruction of the tourism industry that was the major source of income for the majority of people in the area. Lack of justice, corruption of government institutions and lawlessness further compounded these problems. In this state of affairs people like Fazlullah were able to gain legitimacy in the eyes of people who were already facing ideological alienation from the centre due to ongoing war on terror against the people the government called Mujahedeen and freedom fighters for more than two decades. Under such circumstances these militants as accused by many prominent figures of Pakistani government of being aided by foreign Agencies with RAW, CIA and Musad being in the fore front were able to virtually take control of the valley. The geostrategic importance of this region as the only ground link to China and the possibility of this region as a ground link between India and Afghanistan is a factor that cannot be ignored when we analyze the involvement of foreign hands in Swat and FATA.
On the part of government the questions still need to be answered that where were the intelligence agencies at the time when these people were strengthening themselves and when this situation was becoming more and more apparent? Why did the government do nothing to stop infiltration of weapons and foreign elements in the area when even the media had started giving hints of the worsening situation in the area and why was it not considered to reinforce militia and police forces in the area well in time when their personnel were being abducted everyday and it was clear that these forces will not be able to deal with better equipped militants? The government’s appeasement policy did work to isolate the militants but the cost of this policy had to be paid by the innocent people of the valley.
Now as the crisis unfolds we can foresee that these problems are only going to compound over the next few months due to several factors.
- The 1.5 million internally displaced people, their care and eventual rehabilitation.
- The destruction of local economy of Swat.
- Possibility of escaping militants amidst the IDPs.
- The resentment and alienation among people of Swat due to military operation and civilian causalities in the area.
- Destruction of families and social infrastructure that can provide the militants with fertile recruiting grounds.
- The possibility of regrouping of escaped militants after the military operation is over, thus bringing the situation back to square one.
These factors can further strengthen the militant factions and if these militants prove themselves as resilient as they have in the past it is very likely that their support and credibility in the region will increase. This may result in the expansion of the area in which these militants have major influence and grass root support.
Presently, the plight of the people of Swat and IDPs is not being highlighted as it should have been. Adding to this the relief efforts and public awareness and response in dealing with the crisis has not been sufficient to provide a moral boosting effect for IDPs and people of NWFP which can add to the feeling of alienation in this region.
In the context of current situation it is imperative that steps should be taken to awaken the feeling of nationalism in Pakistani nation. Campaigns should be initiated to get help from all regions of country so people of Swat know that they are not helpless and the entire nation cares about their plight.
One of the most important aspects of this issue is the economic rehabilitation and revival of this region. It is a well known fact that poor regions that are isolated from the global community in terms of education, communication and commerce are the most fertile breeding grounds of terror networks. Failure to initiate economic development of this region might eventually culminate in victory of fundamentalist networks in this region. It is the need of the time to understand this that economy, welfare and development not military actions are the key to winning the war on terror bringing peace to this region.
Photo by: AP
