Deteriorating law and order: Jirga announces to stage peace rally in Swat on Sept 19

MINGORA: The Swat Qaumi Jirga on Tuesday announced to stage a protest against the deteriorating law and order in the district.The announcement was made at a meeting of the Swat Qaumi Jirga’s coordination committee held at the residence of Sher Shah Khan in Koza Bandai of Kabal Tehsil.

The meeting was presided over by Sher Shah Khan.Mukhtar Khan Yousafzai, Muhammad Ali Khan, Abdul Qahar Khan, Zahid Khan, Sher Bahadur Khan, Salahuddin Khan, Khwaja Khan, Mumtaz Ali Khan, Akhtar Ali Khan, Ahmad Shah Khan, Jamal Nasir Khan, Haider Ali Khan, Shamsher Ali Khan, Iqbal Hussain, Umar Ali Yousafzai, Sadiq Aziz, Dr Khalid Mehmood Gujar, Rahmat Ali Khan, Tahir Khan, Sharif Khan, Sultan Khan, Inam Khan, Liaqat Ali Khan, Ahmad Shah Yousafzai, and Khursheed Kakaji and others attended the meeting.

Participants expressed serious concern over the worsening law and order situation in Swat, terming it the result of government negligence and the deliberate policies of certain elements. They questioned how, despite the presence of heavy security apparatus, armed groups reappeared overnight on strategic mountain tops of Malakand Division, especially Swat, moving freely in adjoining areas and carrying out repeated armed attacks on police and other law-enforcers.

The jirga declared that such developments not only caused deep anger and anxiety among the people of Swat but also proved that powerful circles were backing these violent activities for “nefarious designs.”

The meeting further stated that the roots of terrorism lay in the country’s flawed foreign and internal policies, not in the mountains or villages of Swat. The jirga rejected any new military operation or the establishment of unnecessary checkposts and security barriers in the name of counter-terrorism.

It was decided that the Swat Qaumi Jirga would organize a peaceful protest on September 19 at the main square of Matta Bazaar against what it described as “manufactured terrorism.”

The gathering will be open to all citizens of Swat, regardless of political affiliation, with a special call for the participation of the business community. The jirga accused the provincial government of adopting a “double-faced” approach towards law and order, saying successive governments had failed to protect the Pakhtuns. It demanded that genuine measures be taken under the Constitution and the law to ensure public safety and eliminate militancy or else the government should step down.