By Delawar Jan
Though the military is actively participating in the offensive in South Waziristan, it has kept up focus on Swat to consolidate the success.Considered to be the hotbed of Taliban militants till May this year, Swat is inching towards peace after massive military operation that drove out the insurgents. “The Taliban who would strut around everywhere, are now seen nowhere,” a resident of Mingora Ziauddin told The News by phone.
A local from Kabal village said he could not spot any Talib since his return to the valley on August 21. The residents said people’s trust in army had been restored and they were now confident about of a peaceful future as the Taliban training centres and hideouts have been dismantled and the channel of recruitment blocked.
The security forces have not called off the operation and continued search and clearance raids in parts of the valley to track down the remnants of the Taliban, further encouraging local populations. The troops are strengthening their control over the valley to ensure a durable peace.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Monday the security forces launched search operation and destroyed an abandoned terrorists training camp at Jamalasar near Bartana area of Matta. It said 15 suspects were apprehended.
Under-pressure from the unrelenting hunt of the security forces, 11 terrorists surrendered to authorities in Miandam, Chuprial, Shangla, Kabal and Manglawar areas.Police are patrolling jointly with the personnel of the security forces to maintain peace in the valley, people say. The police established a post in Magwaltan area of Charbagh to keep vigilance on militants. Shattered completely, the civil administration is yet to be enabled to take over the responsibility of maintaining peace.
However, it is being views as a tremendous success that the Taliban could not muster their power to strike anywhere in the valley after August 30, when a suicide bomber killed 12 police recruits at a training centre in Mingora. People from Kabal, Matta and Mingora said they were sanguine about the prospect for peace in the valley. They said there had been no bloodshed for the last 50 days across this valley where hardly any day would go missing incident of violence.
Schools are also opened and all girls and boys are attending to their classes regularly and without any fear. “Actually, the number of girls desirous to attain education has shot up after the operation. We have no space to accommodate them,” said Safdar, a school administrator in Kabal village. Kabal was one of the strongholds of the militants, operating under Maulana Fazlullah. He said students were also coming in four buses of the school from Shahdherai, Totano Bandai, Dadhara and Kanju, the previous breeding ground for Taliban.
It is a pleasant development that schools are opened in Swat valley even at a time when schools are closed in several cities of the country due to threats of terrorist attacks. Locals from Mingora, Kabal and Matta said the business activities were gathering momentum not only in these towns but also in other areas. Women who were barred by the Taliban from shopping could now be seen buying cloths, shoes, cosmetics and other items in bazaars.
“I and other people have observed a sea change in our society. Women are now thronging markets in great numbers that we did not see even before the emergence of Taliban. Music is played loudly almost in every vehicle. Some people that I knew have removed beards,” said, Omar Ali, a resident of Matta town, a previous hotspot of Taliban. He said the marked change was in reaction to the Taliban strict code of living they had imposed on the people.
Amid the pleasant developments, however, some people are still jittery as the peace in the valley is nascent and fragile. “The Taliban leaders, particularly those hailing from Matta, are still at large. They may stage a comeback,” a resident of Matta said of the fears the people have. They are also unhappy with the treatment meted out to them at the checkpoints.