The Story of my Swat

Tuesday, 15 September 2009 Pashtoon built on both sides of Durand line is on fire for the last 3 decades. This area has always been a center of conflict and rivalry of big powers for their vested interest right from the days Alexander, the great. It is the strategic location of this area which attract the enemies. If it is a gateway to India it is a gangway to central Asia. My Swat was like a beautiful, innocent bride in the great Pashtoons mother land. Heaven had showered all its blessings on this mini Switzerland. When you look at it, as if the nature has done its beautification in its own parlor. It was the land of roses, water falls, springs with its lush green fields, snow covered peaks of the mountains and the swat river known for its most beautiful bed, traversing her body from tip to toe. The beautiful forests covering the mountains and protecting the wild life. Swat had an intoxicating breeze as if atmosphere is pregnant with heavenly perfumes and the water is heavenly wine. The nature had transmitted its effect to the people. The residents of swat were the most polite people in the area. It was the combination panoramic scenes and the behavior of the people that swat enjoyed two tourists seasons. In summer the visitor from all over Pakistan and winter from Europe . Natural beauty apart swat has always been a cradle of peace. When it was a state I still remember that visitor from Europe would come and just fixed their tent any where to on the road side without fear. The main reason for peace and progress was that no criminal escaped from punishment. The law for crimes was for all. The communication, free education and the maintenance of government property were exemplary. Swat was a single Pashtoon administrative unit where the mother tongue was given her due place and status including Afghanistan. The agriculture, handicrafts, tourism, guest houses were promoted and kept at certain standard. The mother tongue was an official language in courts and education. That was the main reason for rapid progress in education since the last Wali took over from his father in 1949. Fruits, medicinal plants like Digoxin were grown on commercial basis. It was impossible for any one to cut a tree or destroy wild life. Swat courts were basically run by the ruler and his three advisors with the consultation of Islamic scholars. A criminal case rarely took more than a month. Generally it took few days. The residents of Swat were used to speedy justice based on Sharia and Pashtoon traditions. Swaties lived in this sort of state for more than 200 years. It must be of interest to readers that the people of swat could not perceive the idea of car lifting. The first case happened exactly 10 days after merger. The ruler was the best administrator but like all dictators could not tolerate any political ideology. He was particularly intolerant to Pashtoon nationalist movement and J.I, he was of the view that only these two are movements of a philosophy the rest are opportunists who can be bought by cash or kind and that was what he was doing with all Pakistani rulers from Jinnah to Ayub. Being a Pashtoon himself the reason for his hatred for nationalist movement that he considered it a threat to his authority otherwise it was impossible for a person to write an application to him in a language other than Pashto, The merger of swat brought the civil services with all its filthy habits but no law and start orders according to their own whims and wishes. The merger was taken as anarchy and loot was started by the civil servants and the swat mafia who kept under the thumb by the state rulers. Their first war was against the forest and natural resources. The valley of swat known for her maple and walnut trees were systemically cut to give the royal look to the furniture of new rulers. Even the shadowy trees on the side of roads were not spared. A huge vacuum of power ,law and order was created which exists till to day. The rulers of Pakistan recruited their pimps who were least bothered for swat uplift but to keep their master happy and return to get billions. The two periods are particularly eminent in this foul play Late Mr. Bhutto and Gen. Musharaf played havoc with the three states through their pimps. It is a natural phenomenon that no dictator will pick a person of vision. They always prefer yes men. The vacuum provided an excellent conditions for the criminals to fill the vacuum. The so called religious parties started their sectarian centers during Zima time. The J.I. was the first one to establish its centre followed by other jihad organizations. All were being under the very nose of military junta. Whatever was left were provided by MMA government. They had their own radio. The lack of honest judiciary system and delayed justice with a lot of expenses made the life for the public a hell. The Taliban were waiting for this moment. They were organized militarily trained gang. On the top of this MMA government had given them voice. It was there promise of good governance and cheap but speedy justice which captured the innocent residents of that area. The sectarian propaganda was started later. The women folk donated their jewelry and the men folk offered free labor to build the head quarter on the bank of river swat, the propaganda was so forceful that any body would have offered his/her services to get the key for heaven and a peaceful life in this world. All this was happening under the cover of central government led by Gen. Musharaf in Islam Abad and MMA in the province. Fazlullah was picked by the agencies at the time when he was cable chair operator. The local people joined him for Nizam-e- Adal and the foreign mercenaries were introduced by the same agencies. Training and weapons were no problems. Cash was in abundance. Swat being a land lock district were imported gangster and weapons. It does not need a lot of logic how it could be done without the help of local patrons. To build the tunnels in all mountains of swat needed engineering and military expertise. The strategic location also need some military guidance. The heaven was gradually converted in to a dump of gun powder. The heavenly intoxicating breeze was stinking with gun powder and rotten dead bodies. Swat went through multiple phases. Prior to it its communication were destroyed by negligence of the advisor of Gen. Mascara political advisor who built his own empire by public developmental funds and destroyed the tourist industry followed by sectarian fanatics. It will be illogical that the people around Gen. Musharaf and MMA shift their deeds to others. They must be brought to justice and accounted for the wealth they have collected. If one year of their earning is given to the IDPs a lot of the sufferings of these people can be alleviated. They are the national criminals and responsible for the public sufferings, diplomatic isolation of the country and the loss to the army of men and kind. I was astonished to see the interview of the advisor of Gen . Musharaf criticizing the provincial government impotency and failed to accept his crime for creating this bloody drama. Swat was a cradle of peace and beauty through out its history. In the days of hindumat it was the place of the throne of Ramchadar jee. During Buddhist era it was a sacred land for pilgrimage. During Islam it was the place which produced great scholars and sofies. The question is why the things reached to this stage. If the governments were doing for certain reasons why our civil bodies, democrats and nationalists kept quiet. Why the intellectuals and writer failed to fore see this bloody drama. I must say we should be brave enough to accept our impotency. We should have exposed the sins of those in power and their local agents and should have reached to our public to avoid the price which we are paying now. Swat has been robbed by local pimps and rapped by Pakistan establishment. Were we right to opt for merger in Pakistan ?? Certainly not. We could have made necessary changes in the frame of Swat State. We nationalist start the move. As our philosophy of nationalism we were considering that our great historical nation is having this bad day because out national unity has been destroyed by colonial powers. Unless the Pashtoon are in one administrative unit they cannot achieve historical identity in unity and national rights. We were also of the opinion that even if we are made slaves in unity when we rise we will rise as a nation. The unity is the key factor whether we are free or slaves. We never accepted that our national body should have physical division. Which is tarnishing our national out look and replacing it with regional or tribal out look. We never wanted to be merged in Islam Abad. We could see the condition of Pashtoons in the jurisdiction of Pakistan. Our last poster is a testimony to my claim as I was the in charge of publication and ideological process. Our late comrade in arm khaista mohammad was responsible for distribution along with many others. But we must confess that the movement was hijacked by the local vested interest and Gen. Pirzada and Gen Azhar. They wanted to settle their own score with the rulers of swat. They succeeded in their nefarious aims. We did approach the ruler of swat through the commander of his body guard but he refused to patch up with us and was scared to death to ask for referendum. We must accept to our historical blunder that we failed to organize our people. The worst is yet to come. We are as much responsible as the Taliban for our sisters and mothers sufferings in camps. Those who had never seen sky out side their houses; are begging for a loaf of bread. If they are asked to return they will return to Mohenjedaro of swat. Their houses are destroyed , their shops looted and their crops destroyed. The infra structure completely destroyed. Their rehabilitation is un imaginable added to it is the psychic trauma. One generation of young children has been pushed back by one year and still we don’t know how long it will take?? Oh my swat it is your own children who sold you to their political Pandits to build their empires and sell your honor and history. Please forgive me that I still carry my head on my shoulders. I beg you my motherland that I did not come up to your expectation nor the expectation of my political leaders like Bacha khan & Ajmal khattak. I have nothing to prove my innocence. Oh Mingora how can I offer an excuse like others that your bazaars were made like the bazaars of Kofa and Damascus by Yazeeds. Oh the Zainabs of swat your decapitated Hussians will never let me to sleep peacefully. My pen will never stop I will keep on fighting till death do us apart. [email protected] Source: Khyberwatch - بېرته شاته