Adil Najam
This photograph from the Swat region needs little commentary, but deserves much thought.
The caption from Associated Press (photograph by Sherin Zada), reads in part:
A youngster sits beside his belongings as he waits for his parents to cross a river as they flee from a troubled area in Imam Dheri near Mingora, the main town of Pakistan’s Swat Valley, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009.
One wonders what is going through the child’s head. With the Taliban after his body and soul, with civilian casualties in the military operation in Swat mounting, with American drone attacks in the tribal belt further away, and with a polity in chaos in the rest of the country, it is not as if he has too many options to fall back on. He seems to be looking pensively (possibly across the river); but to what?
Swat really is a big tragedy in the making. People were opening up there thanks to massive tourism base. In 2002, I traveled extensively in that area, including villages, and was astonished to see that people were sending their girls to schools unlike many other NWFP rural areas. Now Taliban have destroyed everything…………
The major problem facing Pakistan is the easy availability of weapons. As long as these weapons are not taken out of the society we will never be able to solve the problem of terrorism which is a law and order problem in a nut shell.
It was Abdullah Mehsud who was returned to Pakistan from Guantanamo Bay. He was killed in a shoot-out with security forces in 2006.
I find it disgusting the Pakistanis who believe the army is fighting and supporting the militants at the same time. Please choose a side.
Well said, Gorki!
Aqil, there is certainly more to the year-long operation than meets the eye… an editorial in the News a couple of days ago alleged that the operation was conducted in a manner meant to deliver Swat and Swatis to Fazlullah on a platter, by attacking the Taliban only half-heartedly and often apparently after letting them know, not even jamming the FM station and not being bold enough to use foot soldiers better and instead relying on shelling… the civilian casualties haven’t helped either… another article on BBCUrdu says the same thing…
As you said, they should jam that FM station, and go for the kill… something in the recent statements by both the government and the army suggests that they are finally coming to their senses… I hope Fazlullah looks out the window soon and finds himself looking at a rocket headed his way…
While we are discussing this, I think it is worth mentioning Afzal Khan Lala, an ANP stalwart from Swat who hasn’t left the area despite three attempts on his life… if only the state and the army would be as clear-cut and bold in their stance vis-a-vis these mullahs, we would be so much better off…
What stops the govt from jamming the FM stations at least?