SWAT-A PARADISE TO BE REHABILITATED

ALI SUKHANVER

alisukhanver@hotmail.com

“We are not the Afghan refugees. We were living a better life in Swat. We are eager to go back to our homes; we are the Swatis.” I remember the remarks of a young man Mukarram Khan who met me in a refugee camp for internally displaced persons of Swat near Islamabad. These remarks made me believe strongly that these people of Swat would one day succeed in getting their homes back from the cruel clutches of the terrorists; it all was about a month ago. Now it is the second half of July. The IDPs have started returning to Swat. Though this returning of the natives is a very long and tedious process and the life there in Swat might not be as comfortable for them as it used to be in the past but the feelings of being at home are always pacifying and soothing.

The IDPs surely had to face hard times during their stay at the refugee camps. The government of Pakistan did its best for making their stay much easy and less painful in spite of its limited sources. The people of Pakistan also played a very memorable role while hosting these displaced Pakistanis. The role of different NGOs and the media, particularly the electronic media has set new examples of patriotism and love for humanity. All these helping hands very warmly joined together to show the world that we, the Pakistanis are a nation not a stray crowd of people.

The story of afflicted valley of Swat has yet not come to an end, the sky is still cloudy and the stormy winds are still blowing indignantly. The Swatis still need our umbrellas. The most important element which could be disastrous for the peace loving people of Swat is the possibility of another wave of terrorism in the valley. The Pakistan army has decided to stay there in swat for the time being to support and strengthen the local administration but the overall responsibility of keeping the extremists out of the valley falls on the shoulders of the local people. They will have to take care of their own security by keeping an eye on their surroundings.

Returning of life to the normal in Swat is certainly not something very pleasing for the forces who have always been dreaming of destabilizing Pakistan. The CIA, the Raw and the Mossad have been strongly supporting the miscreants in Swat as per planned in the recently exposed Operation Blue Tulsi. According to the details this operation was planned to destabilize Pakistan by balkanization. Whatever happened in Swat was the outcome of this operation. Just a few days back the security agencies of Pakistan recovered a lot of weapons which bore the Indian stamp. Some of the arrested culprits told the investigators that they were rewarded in US dollars and even in Indian currency for what they had been doing to please their masters.

 Now it is the second half of July .Things are changing. Those who were dreaming of changing Pakistan into a barren wasteland have gone somewhere in the depths of inferno. Some of them have fled to the lands they belonged to and the remaining are lying injured searching for someone to take care of them ; they have nothing around  but a pathetic and miserable shadows of death. Of all these culprits the most dangerous are those who have gone to their masters’ laps. Their benefactors would certainly try their best to give them a new zeal of life and ask them to go back and complete their assignments. The people of Swat will have to be very much conscious of their expected activities. However one thing is very much positive that so many young accomplices of these so-called extremists have realized the real face of their leaders. They have found the truth that these extremists are in fact terrorists and they have nothing to do with religion. That is why most of such youngsters have said good-bye to their leaders. They say that they were exploited in the name of religion and they feel sorry for cutting the throats of their own Muslim brothers. Recently Fazlullah Farooq, the son of Maulana Sufi Mohammed of TNSM said talking to a media channel that he has cut off with his father and all his activities. He declared that he has nothing to do with the TNSM (Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi) or the TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan).It is the high time to take such youngsters into confidence and make them realize of the role they could play in the rehabilitation of the people of Swat. The police department in Swat should also be given special attention. New and more funds must be allocated for their training and for the provision of latest weapons. Pakistan army must not leave the valley unless until things return to the ultimate normal.

The blood-shed in Swat was a bloody   nightmare. So many innocent lives wasted for nothing. Mothers lost their sons, the children became orphan and women widowed. Swat, once a paradise for the tourists, is now presenting the picture of human cruelty and brutality. Lush green fields have turned into the heaps of ashes; fruit laden trees are mere lifeless skeletons and the river waters tinged with the smell of human blood; all was done in the name of religion. But it does not mean a full stop to life. The Pashtuns are a very hard nation. They have a lot of forbearance and a very strong stamina of defeating the hardships. They can easily overcome all the forces going against them. All they need is a strong support from the nation. The NGOs and the prosperous segments of society must lend them a helping hand. The most important thing not to be ignored is the reconstruction of educational institutions which had been the hot favourite target of the miscreants. For this purpose the government of Pakistan must take revolutionary measures.

Bad weathers are an integral part of life. Always a plain sailing deprives life of a very charming colour; the colour of adventure. Successful are those who have courage to face the challenges around them with determination. A hard journey becomes less tiring and less painful if the trees along the path are comforting and welcoming. The people of Swat are determined to bring back the beauty of their paradise but they need the shadow of prayers and well wishes from the whole of Pakistani nation.