Daily Times

Hats off to Malala and to
those who are the real symbol of a people’s struggle against the tyranny of misdirected clergy. Many may not know the role of the people of Swat in fighting the forces of terrorism, but it is something each Pakistani can be proud of.

When al Qaeda and its supporters sneaked in from the Kunar province in Afghanistan several years ago, they made their secret camps in Puchar. Puchar is an uninhabited valley in Swat. It was connected with the rest of the world by an ancient, rusted, ‘temporary’ connection between two hills called a bridge. The place suited the secret activities of al Qaeda because they could blow up the bridge whenever they needed to, and hence, remained safe. Al Qaeda needed a place of ‘safety’ because the international forces against it had entered the Kunar province and its presence there could have been spotted.

In Puchar, al Qaeda tried to promote their brand of religion they called Islam. It was the most aggressive version developed on the thinking of the Salafis and Tayyabis. It was not in the spirit of the teachings of our Prophet (PBUH). When the word went around that there were forces getting organised to ‘protect’ Islam, the al Qaeda/Taliban ploy, the religious leaders were contacted. In the Swat area. One tribe was known as the learned tribe in matters of religion. The thinking of this tribe was true to the peaceful spirit of Islam, and it was generally followed in Swat. The tribe travelled through the unkind mountain trails, jungles and camped with al Qaeda preachers for some days. They had discussions, and finally decided to return because they could not accept the al Qaeda version of brutal killings, falsely called ‘jihad’, and its accompanying means of destruction. That was the beginning of the conflict in the territory of Swat and for its people.

Al Qaeda built up its biggest forts in Puchar. They had several kilometer long tunnels full of explosives. They built tunnels as hospitals to treat the wounded in their future war with Pakistan’s peacekeepers. They built training camps and suicide schools, and adopted the practice of beheading people.

All that was being done while the political front of the group became active with the support of some militant elements. For a long time, the people of Swat were alone in their resistance. They suffered individually and collectively, but they followed their beliefs and fought for their right of freedom of thinking for themselves. The struggle began much before the rest of Pakistan woke up and realised what was happening to a part of their country in the name of ‘Islam’. Those terrorists were against education and establishment of law and order. Their main targets were centres of education, particularly education for girls, and the law enforcing agencies.

The situation deteriorated to such an extent that the biggest ‘Heliborne Operation’ after WWII had to take place to clear Puchar even partially. The army had to move in; the people of Swat had to be evacuated for the fight and were brought back only when the army had defeated the enemy.

The army action happened much later. Time was lost in fruitless negotiations by some politicians. Then militants from Laal Masjid, Islamabad joined the Taliban. The people of Swat — men, women and children — continued resistance.

Malala stands out as the symbol of the great fight of the people of Swat against the tyranny of the Taliban. We know this great individual and her family now, but there must have been many that the world did not recognise or who have not been able to live to this day. Malala has been inspired by her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai — an educationist and a poet — who in turn had been inspired by Khushal Khan Khattak, the great poet. It is interesting that these revolutionaries have something common with Mao who was a poet himself. Malala was shaped in large part by her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, who is a school owner and an educational activist himself, running a chain of schools known as the Khushal Public School, named after the famous Pashtun poet, Khushal Khan Khattak. Malala stated to an interviewer once that she would like to become a doctor but her father encouraged her to become a politician instead. Ziauddin referred to his daughter as someone very special, permitting her to stay up at night and talk about politics after her two brothers had been sent to bed.

At the beginning of 2009,Malala had a chance to write for BBC Urdu when her father, Ziauddin was asked by Abdul Hai Kakkar, a BBC reporter out of Pakistan, if any girls at his school would write about life under the Taliban. At the time, Taliban militants led by Maulana Fazlullah were taking over the Swat valley, banning TV, music, girls’ education, and women from going for shopping. Bodies of beheaded policemen were hanging from town squares. At first, a girl named Aisha from her father’s school agreed to write a diary, but then the girl’s parents stopped her from doing it in the fear of a Taliban reprisal. The only alternative was Malala — four years younger than the original volunteer — and a student of class seven at the time. Malala wrote often while many schools were destroyed; and finally, Pakistan army took action. She wrote, “It is only when dozens of schools have been destroyed and hundreds others closed down that the army thinks about protecting them. Had they conducted their operations here properly, this situation would not have arisen.”

Malala, with her family, has shown the way to change and almost a revolution. The world has been shaken up. By shooting at her, Taliban have shot themselves in the foot. Her blood has woken up the conscience of the people in Pakistan. But beware: the Taliban supporters are already busy in damage control. Some of Taliban supporters, like Maulana Fazlur Rehman, are shamefully trying to underplay her sacrifice. Pakistan needs the courage shown by Malala to save the country from destruction by Taliban.

The writer is a former DG Pakistan National Council of the Arts, Secretary Arts Council Alhamra, COO of ICTV US, Chairperson Fruit Processing Industries, Chairperson Export Promotion Committee, head of several business delegations to European countries, specialist in arts management and cultural diplomacy. He is an expert callishtenist, dramatist, researcher, and the author of 8,000 years of the People of Indus Valley. Presently, he is the Central Vice- President APML and General Secretary, Punjab APML