SwatValley.org - For the Abondoned People of Swat Valley, Buner, Dir and Shangla
Arms Sent by U.S. May Be Falling Into Taliban Hands
By C. J. CHIVERS, The New York Times, May 19, 2009
KABUL — Insurgents in Afghanistan, fighting from some of the poorest and most remote regions on earth, have managed for years to maintain an intensive guerrilla war against materially superior American and Afghan forces.
Arms and ordnance collected from dead insurgents hint at one possible reason: Of 30 rifle magazines recently taken from insurgents’ corpses, at least 17 contained cartridges, or rounds, identical to ammunition the United States had provided to Afghan government forces, Read more »
Swat Valley
Swat is a luxuriant and scenic valley within 160 kms from three of Pakistan's most important cities: Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the capital. Approximately 1.5 million people live in this culturally rich area, which is approximately 5,000 square km in size ( roughly the size of Delaware )
Once an independent, relatively secular region, dotted with brooks, waterfalls, ski resorts and known for its glaciers, fruit orchards and pure honey, Swat has become a battleground for militants of Pakistan's Taliban and the secular Pakistani government. Army troops, 12,000 strong, lost ground to a Taliban force of about 3,000 fighters, who have kept a stranglehold on the area, killing local police officers and officials and punishing residents who do not adhere to their interpretation of Islam. On Feb. 16, 2009, the government announced that it would accept a system of Islamic law in the region and agreed to a truce with the militants, effectively conceding Swat as a Taliban sanctuary and suspending its faltering effort to crush the insurgents.
Many Pakistanis greeted the terms of the truce with skepticism. One newspaper, Dawn, said the deal sent a "disastrous signal: fight the state militarily and it will give you what you want and get nothing in return." .Legal experts in Pakistan said the deal would set a precedent for militants to campaign for and win the imposition of Islamic courts elsewhere in Pakistan.
Far from establishing peace, the agreement appears to have given the Taliban a free rein with which to expand their harsh religious rule. Just days after the signing of the truce, a member of a prominent anti-Taliban family returned to his mountain village, having received assurances from the government that it was safe. He was promptly kidnapped by the Taliban, tortured and murdered. The militants then erected roadblocks to search cars for any relatives who dared travel there for his funeral. None did. In early March, two Pakistani soldiers who were part of a convoy escorting a water tanker were fatally shot because they failed to inform the Taliban in advance of their movements.
On March 4, the provincial government signed an accord with the local Taliban leader that imposes Islamic law, or Shariah, in the area, and institutes a host of new regulations, including a ban on music, a requirement that shops close during calls to prayer and the installation of complaint boxes for reports of anti-Islamic behavior. That accord has subsequently been ratified by the President Zardari after the lower chamber of Parliament, National Assembly, passed a resolution supporting the accord.
Local residents are skeptical that girls’ schools will be allowed to reopen. Taliban are still armed to the hilt and are now using Swat as a launching pad for incursions into other neighboring districts. They have occupied parts of the neighboring valleys of Dir, Shangla and Buner.
Inside Swat, the Taliban carry out regular patrols, and dispense 'justice' on the spot for not closing shops in prayer times, smoking a cigarette, shaving, and even playing Cricket.
(Based on the New York Times topic on Swat)
It is an irony is that even amongst our educated elite, we find supporters of Taliban; most of them are supporting Taliban because they believe Continue Reading.....
An untold perspective on the peace deal from a Swatian. The articles discusses how the peace deal and Taliban are affecting the younger generation and its implications for the future. Most of the predictions in this article have already come true... Read the article here...
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Correspondent Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is traveling across her fractured homeland to investigate the rising popularity of a new Pakistani branch of the Taliban, now threatening the major cities, blowing up girls’ schools and declaring war on the Pakistani state. Read more » Leave a comment »
SWATVALLEY.ORG
SELECTIONS
While all forms of colonisation and occupation spell disaster for the way of life of the conquered Read more »
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Initially, Buner was a hard place for the Taliban to crack. When they attacked a police station in the valley district last year, the resistance was fearless. Read more
Ten days after the government of Pakistan agreed to the imposition of sharia law in Swat, Taliban fighters spilled out of the valley Read more » comments »
"This website is dedicated to the memory of Abbas Ahmad Khan shaheed, and all those innocent civilians who lost their lives in Swat. The brutal murder of Abbas Khan, his father and his brother symbolizes the brutality, viciousness and cruelty with which Taliban have carried out their campaign of pushing Swat to the dark ages. Taliban have brutalized the whole Swat, have systematically destroyed signs of progress like schools , bridges and roads and killed any voice of reason or sign of hope and future for Swat. Read More
(A site depicting history, culture and civilization of Swat Valley.)
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Mohammad Afzal Khan, popularly known as Khan Lala, was vindicated by the April 7 television speech of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani. Khan Lala had time and again warned against any deal from the position of weakness Read more »
Research by the BBC Urdu's service into the growing strength of Taleban militants in north western Pakistan shows that only 38% of the area remains under full government control.
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Pakistan's military - Inside Story
President Asif Ali Zardari said Sunday that the Pakistan Army would be going into other tribal areas of the country in the hunt for the Taliban. He explained that the army had 150,000 troops there and it was already costing a billion dollars; an expansion would depend on how much the world would want to help. The collateral fallout will include more refugees, but then their quick return would depend very much on the success of the army operations. Read more »
Taliban -- Asset or Enemy? (The News, Saleem Safi, May 22, 2009)
The News, Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Why Pakistan's military helped Talibanise Swat
(By Farooq Sulehria, LINKS, May 17, 2009)
The mass exodus from Swat is making headlines globally. Over a million have been displaced. This is the worst humanitarian crisis since the Rwanda tragedy in 1990s. Read more »
Pakistan: Army, Taliban Must Minimize Harm to Civilians (HRW)
Humanitarian Situation in the Conflict Area Deteriorating
Human Rights Watch, May 18, 2009
Taliban's Reign of Fear Spreads in Pakistani City
The Wall Street Journal, By YAROSLAV TROFIMOV, MAY 20, 2009
Women in battle against Taliban in Swat
telegraph.co.uk, Isambard Wilkinson and Emal Khan, 21 May 2009
Women joined villagers in a revolt against the Taliban in Pakistan's Swat Valley where a major military offensive against fundamentalist fighters has been launched.
An attempt by the Taliban to infiltrate Kalam village was repulsed in the first sign that the army's action is encouraging residents to stand up against the militants. Kalam's deputy mayor, Shamshad Haqqai, said that about 50 Taliban fighters tried to enter Kalam on Wednesday but that locals had fought them off. Read more » Related Story: Pakistan army fails to rescue civilian allies in Swat (Saeed Shah, McClathy Newspapers)
Major Abid Shaheed laid to Rest (swatvalley.org, May 20, 2009)
Major Abid Majeed, who embraced martyrdom while fighting the fascists, terrorists and the traitors in Swat, was laid to rest at Shuhadawala Graveyard, Lahore, with full military honour, on Wednesday. Read More>>
Punjab not to allow IDP camps (The News, May 21,By Dilshad Azeem)
ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government has decided in principle not to allow camps for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the province, The News has learnt. “The IDPs can cause trouble for the province just like the Afghan refugees. So, we have decided not to permit their entry or setting up of camps for them in the Punjab,” sources in the provincial government said. Read more »
The human cost of war on the Taliban
guardian.co.uk, Mustafa Qadri, 21 May 2009
The latest chapter in Pakistan's war with the Taliban has been a humanitarian disaster for ordinary villagers from Malakand Agency, the region in Pakistan's lower Himalayas where the battle is now being fought. Read more »
The News, Dr Muzaffar Iqbal, May 22, 2009
What would be Swat like after this season of death and destruction is over and the last Talib has been killed, captured, or has managed to melt into the general population, now fleeing in terror, generating a massive exodus that is already making headlines around the world and brining millions of dollars into the coffers of the rulers? Suppose all goes 'well' and the so-called writ of the state has been established by the time first snow falls on the mountains surrounding the valley, how would the state safeguard its writ against the return of the unvanquished once the barrels of guns have become silent in the ensuing inhospitable conditions?Read more »
A very good and very comprehensive resource for news on Swat
Recent posts on our Swat Blog
(Please Keep Checking Swat Blog for Regular updates)
Bloody battle looms for Pakistan's Swat capital (Video)
Pakistan battling to win control in Mingora- 16 May 09 (Video)
Taliban agree to leave parts of Lower Dir
Women in battle against Taliban in Swat
Pakistan army says dozens of Taliban killed
Pakistan army fails to rescue civilian allies in Swat
The human cost of war on the Taliban
Pakistan's first (or rather second) true war
Much has to be done, and quickly
Aggrieved family asks forces to be precise in targets
Live with Talat 21st May 2009 (Video)
Pakistan’s allies promise $224 mln in aid for displaced
