Daily Times

The mountains of Swat have officially bid adieu to their short-lived oasis of calm. After sending distress signals about a rejuvenated terrorist hotbed for months on end, the scenic district appears helpless as the Pakistan Taliban’s reign of terror has entered its second act. There could not be a greater sign of the dark days approaching than the viciously-plotted attack on the head of the local peace committee. The unfortunate incident is just the latest addition to a ruthless string of activities unfurling ribbon off the militancy poster.

In the last two weeks, the TTP commanders have kidnapped seven farmers in Swat; issued a menacing audio message with details about their targets on top of carrying out as many as 13 attacks, including one on a check post. That they claim to only act out in “self-defence,” twists the dagger further in. Whether we would like to admit it or not, the situation is fast cascading towards the resurgence in the early 2000s.

What had then started as isolated incidents of targeted killings in Waziristan and demands of extortion in the Swat belt did not take long before spreading into a well-orchestrated coup. The people of Swat are screaming out the despair tales of years gone by when armed men had systematically ruled upon their lives and livelihoods.

But alas! Neither they nor the heart-wrenching sobs of those who lost their loved ones to the insatiable bloodlust have yet made a strong case before the state! Who can dare forget the deplorable penchant for attacking children–emptying the barrel in celebrated activist Malala Youzafzai’s head and spilling the blood of as many as 132 students for the mere crime of going to an army-run school?

It is not an easy task to test the collective patience through these bloodied déjà vus but such recollections remain the only window of opportunity to rattle the authorities out of their complacency. Because the time consumed in dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s of peace deliberations is being well-utilised by the other side to blow the war trumpet.

As rightly inquired by the opposition parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is the government ready to hand out the security affairs to the Taliban? Back in 2014, the heroic marvels repeatedly shown by our jawans in the historic countrywide offensive had paved the way for the Swat Valley to step back in the open, rebuild its walls and plaster over its scars. Are we ready to give one of our few success stories in the name of convenience and strategy? The security question hangs heavy in the air. *