Shaky in Swat

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

It is no surprise at all that the truce in Swat is under threat. Indeed, we would all have been  left perplexed if this had not happened. Sufi Mohammad Khan has now demanded that the Nizam-e- Adl regulation agreed upon with the provincial government now be enforced within two weeks and  Qazi courts made operative. The fact that none of us really know what the peace agreement  includes in the first place adds to the doubts surrounding the whole issue. The attack on a  security convoy and the kidnapping of an FC commandant further highlights the futility of  dealing with men who cannot be trusted. Sufi Muhammad Khan conveniently claims the attack was a  'mistake', but how do we know such 'mistakes' will not be made again? The fact is that the  militants are divided; attempts are on from within their ranks to sabotage the truce and by  doing so discredit Sufi Muhammad. It seems very likely that their tactics will succeed.

The authorities need to face up to the fact that they are dealing with desperate men; judging  by their actions and their words, some at least among them seem poised on the brink of  insanity. Who else but the deranged would behead people and stick their heads atop poles or  hold up toddlers close to the gory scenes of such killings to ensure they witness them? Reason  seems pointless when used against such people. There are indications that Sufi Muhammad is  under immense pressure from more hard-line militants led by his son-in-law to step up demands  on the government. It is increasingly clear that the truce in Swat cannot hold. Any hope of a  lasting peace that allows people to resume normal lives can come only when the militants are  vanquished and their leaders punished for the crimes they have committed. Until this happens,  we will see, at best, only temporary solutions in Swat while the hold of militants grows  steadily stronger as a result of the failure to decisively crush them.

Source:http://thenews.jang.com.pk/