Adil Najam
Found this very interesting older PTV documentary on Swat (3 parts) from only a few years ago (maybe 3 or 4). Ordinarily it would not have been noteworthy. Slightly slow moving in typical PTV style. But view it today – knowing what is happening in Swat today – and tears swell up in your eyes and rage rises in you veins. This is the Swat that was. The Swat we knew. The Swat that is being destroyed.
Here are just a few highlights from the documentary that would have sounded mundane only a couple of years ago, but in light of today’s reality which seem like they were spoken in another life, another century.
Part III: “Miandam ki khaas baat yahan ka sakoon hai. Jitna sakoon, peace, tranquility mein nay Miandam may daikha hai shayed hi kaheen hou!” (“Miandam’s special trait is its tranquility. The amount of peace and tranquility that you see here, it is difficult to imagine anywhere else”).
Part I: “Mingora shehr kaafi ba-ronaq aur rawaN dawaN shehr hai. Yahan kay loug khush o khurram, friendly aur baRRay mehman nawaz haiN.” (“Mingora city is very lively and bustling with activity. People here are very happy, friendly and hospitable.”)
Part I: Note the description of the Swat Museum, including talk of the “priceless” treasures and also of art and sculpture.
Part II: Note the description of the giant Buddhas of Jehanabad; since defaced by the Taliban.
And just in case you have been on a different planet recently and missed what is happening in Swat today, here is a more recent documentary from Dawn TV:
Perhaps the biggest missing debate in Pakistani discourse is Pakistan’s crucial role in the ‘Jihad’ against the Soviets in the 80s.
There is simply not enough courage to closely examine some ‘What Ifs’ relating to those crucial years. On the contrary, -even- some so-called ‘liberal’ and ‘progressive’ Pakistanis can be seen boasting of Pakistan’s role in the destruction of the Soviet dominance in American-Soviet Cold War.
I, too, admittedly, used to take pride in that ‘achievement’ but, to my credit, I was too young to understand what was happening in the 80s. But it is crystal clear to me now that Pakistan committed the biggest blunder by becoming part of the American-Soviet struggle and especially by turning an already very conservative tribal Pakhtuns into many legions of Jihad-crazed Mujahideens.
9/11 only hastened what was going to happen to Pakistan down the road–the ‘blow back’ effect of Pakistani military leaders’ (especially Mardi Momin General Zia ul Haq’s) myopic policies.
I want to believe in what @Riaz ul Haq says in his first post below: Other nations have gone through such internal crises before but came out fine. And I do think that essentially even the most isolated tribal regions can revert back to the pre 80s relatively benign conservatism.
But a precondition has to be that Americans leave Afghanistan AFTER it is assured that there are no more attacks worldwide from Afghanistan.
What a paradise this place was and what hell it has been turned into by the Taliban
I think the crisis has resulted in an uncontrolled situation particularly since last year because of the NWFP government’s naive response of appeasing the militants in May, 2008. Here’s what I wrote then on my blog:
Under a peace deal signed by the NWFP provincial government, the authorities say they will withdraw security forces and allow the pro-Taliban militants to impose Sharia law in Swat in return for promises to close training camps and end attacks. This is particularly astonishing as it involves secular nationalists of the Awami National Party that trounced the right wing JUI party in the last elections.
This announcement by Senior Minister of NWFP Bashir Ahmad Bilour followed a ceasefire announced by Taleban leader Baitullah Mehsud last month. There were also reports of a 15-point draft deal that called for an end to militant activity and an exchange of prisoners in return for the gradual withdrawal of the Pakistani military from part of the tribal region of South Waziristan.
To read more, please visit :
http://www.riazhaq.com/2008/05/is-pakistan-militan ts-deal-appeasement.html
BTW, for people that have never been there…. movies and pictures don’t do justice to the real Swat!
I mean you may find it extremely beautiful, but take my word for it, when you are there…it’s breath-taking! It’s sooo un-imaginable the feeling of awe that will come over you.
I pray for all to see and feel what Allah has given us.
“Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny?” (surah Rahman)
Since i was little, my mother would talk about her growing up in Swat, which always took me to another world in my imagination. I never thought i would actually go there one day. After being married and moving to Pakistan, i had the chance and went to Swat for my 3rd wedding anniversary (right before the first bomb blast in mengora). I am not exaggerating when i say…it was so much more than what i had imagined. It really was heaven on earth!
It is peaceful, beautiful, and the people…oh lovely! I watched this documentary (a couple weeks back on TV) and i felt so angry at the current situation! I feel that we are being robbed of our country, this must be stopped!
I have the my most precious memories of that place. All I could say was “Subhan Allah”… and now it tears my heart to hear and see what is going on there.
I truly wish and pray (and hope) for everything to be ok once again. I hope that this nightmare ends soon, insha Allah.