IDPs’ end of nightmare

Mohammad Jamil
On successful military operation in Malakand Division and Swat where terrorists have been routed, people are jubilating as they see end of the nightmare. With peace restored to the valley of Swat, its residents, who had migrated to other areas and camps, started returning to their homes to lead a normal life. Contrary to the views of the skeptics, they are not scared of the militants, as they have confidence in the armed forces that they would destroy the miscreants and thugs who had made their lives miserable. According to a report carried in English daily: “Elders are happy that they will return to their homes and start their businesses afresh, whereas children and youngsters are hoping to see their friends and schools. They are ecstatic about getting a chance to play in the lush-green fields again”. Welcome banners have been installed on roads leading to Swat, Dir and Malakand Agency. The banners with slogans of ‘Long live Pakistan’, ‘Welcome our displaced brethren’ and ‘Say no to militancy’ have been fixed on various corners of the roads.
The return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) was started on Monday as planned by the government. The convoys of the IDPs are streaming in the beautiful valley amid tight security arrangements, backed by military gunship helicopters. The security is aimed at avoiding any untoward incident during the IDPs’ return. The Emergency Response Unit (ERU), a body formed to deal the issue of the IDPs, had said a day before the return of IDPs that about 5,760 families would be repatriated to their homes in the first phase. A spokesman for the ERU told the media men that 720 buses and 52 trucks would carry the displaced families to Landakay, Barikot, Guratai and Kota areas of the troubled Swat Valley. According to the plan, the IDPs would be sent back in four phases. The IDPs living in camps, schools, private houses and other provinces would be sent back in the first, second, third and fourth phases, respectively.
The IDPs of Buner are also going back to their abodes, and arrangements have been made for the repatriation of those in-camp IDPs from Buner who might have stayed back for one reason or another and wished to return voluntarily, the ERU said. One-month foodstuff has been provided to the IDPs prior to their return. The displaced people were seen going back to their homes also on foot on the main Mingora-Peshawar road on Sunday. Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Sunday that repatriation process of the internally displaced persons would start from Monday, which of course started as planned. He confirmed that 125,000 displaced families were already paid Rs 25,000 each through the UBL visa cards. It was indeed a Herculean task to look after more than two million IDPs but with the help of the army. the civil administration has been able to deliver. Of course, there are always some complaints while taking up such a gigantic challenge, and secondly it is not humanly possible to satisfy each and everybody.
Some critics had said that why the government took so long to decide to start operation against terrorists and enemies of Pakistan. And why armed forces did not take the initiative to take on them. According to a website report, Pakistan Army and the ISI have been developing a militia to eliminate the 10,000 strong Anti-Pakistan force of Baitullah Mehsud. It has been training, arming and supporting a Counter-TTP force under the auspices of Qari Zainuddin Mehsud who was loyal to Pakistan and against the Anti-Pakistan Baitullah Mehsud. Because Qari Zainuddin had exposed the evil designs of Baitullah Mehsud openly saying that he had links with Indian RAW and Israel’s Mossad, which had infuriated Baitullah Mehsud and Qari Zainuddin was assassinated.
It has to be mentioned that army is under obligation to obey the elected government, it therefore acted only after the Parliament had endorsed the decision of the government. The top leaders of the country belonging to various political and religious parties had also endorsed the government’s decision to eliminate the menace of terrorism and religious extremism in All Parties Conference. Sot the armed forces got the backing and support from the country’s political parties and their leaders from across the broad spectrum but they were cautioned against collateral damage or alienation of the general public. Armed forces of Pakistan are moving forward cautiously and taking due care to avoid the collateral damage, and they have been able to keep the level of damage very low. Leaders, allies and colleagues of terrorists are utterly confused as they had not expected that the government would opt for military action.
They are now disappointed and frustrated over the success of the military operation, as many of terrorists’ colleagues and ‘comrades in arms’ have started doubting the intentions of Baitullah Mehsud and other leaders. They do not wish to fight Pakistani army and some have expressed their resolve to abandon militancy. Anyhow, terrorists’ leaders stand exposed, and people of Malakand and Swat now better understand the evil intent of Fazlullah and Sufi Muhammad because instead of working on Nizam-i-Adl they started challenging writ of the state in Buner, Dir and other parts of the NWFP. One could not blame the people of Swat for playing in the hands of religious shysters because they used the slogan of Islam to hoodwink the innocent people, and perpetrated atrocities and brutalities on the population.
They destroyed schools, barbers shops and video shops, but now they are shaving their beards and are running for life. But there is need for a fatwa from right-thinking ulema that Baitullah Mehsud and his thugs have nothing to do with Islam, and they have intentionally tarnished its image irretrievably. In Qur’an Sura Almaeda-32 Allah ordains: “Whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or creating turmoil in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whosoever saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind”. But terrorists has shown utter disregard for Qur’anic injuctions, and do not deserve any sympathy.
It would be injustice if one does not pay tributes to the armed forces for the great achievement in that they have almost cleared and recovered the area where militants, terrorists and thugs aided and abetted by foreign intelligence agencies had complete control and who were armed with sophisticated and heavy weapons, rocket launchers and anti-tank guns and equipment.
There is no doubt that Pakistan’s security forces are one of the best in the world, and what they have achieved within a short span of time, the US, NATO and Afghan forces have not been able to achieve during the last eight years is reflective of their professionalism and dedication. Anyhow the fight is not yet over and the terrorists who ran away from the area would try to hide in some other areas, and the government would have to watch their movements so that they do not gang up again to the detriment of the people.
There were warnings that militants have their hideouts in Southern Punjab, and the recent explosion in a house-seminary in Mian Channu where weapons and explosives were stored lends credence to the stories about their training centres and ammunition dumps.
Email: mjamil1938@yahoo.com & mjamil1938@hotmail.com