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.
