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Swat’s Convoluted Path to Peace

The agreement that remains to be signed by the President would only be done after the government is satisfied that its goals have been met.

The agreement with Sufi Mohammed, the head of the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-i-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM), came about as the provincial government had reached a point of desperation over the state of affairs in Swat. Even though Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti has been quick to reject rumours of coercion by the militants on the Shariah regulation, the idea behind the accord is to help Sufi Mohammad rein in his son-in-law Fazlullah, who heads the Swat Taleban. In cooperation with Baitullah Mehsud’s Tehrik-e-
Taleban, Fazlullah had held Swat at siege, paralysing the lives of its citizens and engaging the armed forces.

As the Taleban announced a unilateral ceasefire of 10 days welcoming the agreement, the people of Swat, too, have apparently expressed relief at the decision as they are desperate for restoration of peace and a speedy and stable judicial system. Recalling the rule of Swat Amir when the judicial process in Shariah courts took only a month and there was little crime, the people are probably looking forward to the revival of a similar system. The problem herein lies not in the enforcement of Shariah regulations, endorsed by previous governments of both Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, but in the danger of the system being abused by a new and rabid breed of militants. The atmospherics of 2009 are vastly different from even 1999.

Greatly empowered, the militants have been successful in challenging the Pakistani state. More dangerous is the terror and enforcement of violent and misguided interpretation of Sharia they have imposed upon the people. They have systematically targeted female education and working force as well as health immunisation programmes. There are some serious issues linked to the development. Foremost is Sufi Mohammed’s ability to control Fazlullah and implement peace consequently restoring the writ of the state. The second, bigger problem is the implication and cumulative effect on other areas controlled by militants who are seen to be gaining the upper hand as the authority of the government is eroded.

This is disconcerting, to say the least. However, the blind and indiscriminate use of force like those drone attacks by the Americans are no solution. What the government needs to do is involve the Pakistani civil society – the media, politicians and Ulema or religious leaders – to neutralize and integrate these sections in the national mainstream.