The real agenda of the Pakistani Taliban

By Asad Munir

Published: March 9, 2011

The writer is a retired brigadier who has served in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Fata asad.munir@tribune.com.pk

This is with reference to an article by Ejaz Haider on these pages titled“What is the TTP’s real agenda?” (February 28). Pashtun society is classified into three categories: Pashtuns, Mian Mula (religious functionaries) and Kasabgars (artisans). The leadership in the society has mostly remained with the first category, the Pashtuns. In Fata, the administration and the tribal maliks derive legitimacy and authority from the written laws of the state. The role of the religious functionary is not defined in any law of the land and is restricted to the performance of some religious rituals. However, over the years, he is not content with this role and wants to be an active member of the decision-making body of Pashtun society.

This was realised when, in November 1994, madrassa students, the Taliban as they came to be known, captured Kandahar and, within two years, took control of about 90 per cent of Afghanistan. Also, the distinction between the Pakistani Pashtun Taliban and the Afghan Taliban is not clear or well-defined. This is because, over the centuries, the Pashtun on either side of the Durand Line have never accepted the border. The British were, in fact, aware of this and granted what were called ‘easement rights’ to the tribals for cross-border movement.

Similarly, events in Afghanistan affect Fata and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP). To correct the popular perception that the Taliban came to the fore in Pakistan after 9/11, in 1998 a Taliban force had appeared in the Mirali area of North Waziristan. By 1999, they were in control of Mirali and part of Orakzai Agency. Waves of Talibanisation spread to different parts of Fata and KP and, by mid-2000, the torching of video cassettes and TVs, considered as signs of obscenity, were a common sight in parts of KP. After 9/11, the Taliban kept a low profile but resurfaced around 2003.

Their agenda is Pakistan-centric and they exploited the vacuum created by the killings of maliks and the absence of the state’s writ. Since the state did not react, the ordinary tribal had no option but to accept Taliban rule. In February 2005, Baitullah Mehsud signed an agreement pledging that his forces would not cross the border to fight Nato. The Taliban of North Waziristan did the same thing in September 2006.

The agenda of the Taliban is to acquire power and to create their own state in Fata, which they will then extend to other areas of the country. Those who think that the Taliban will lay down their arms once Nato forces withdraw from Afghanistan, and will become law-abiding citizens, are not aware of the ground realities. This will not happen, unless they are forced to surrender.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2011.

What is the TTP’s real agenda?

By Ejaz Haider

Published: February 28, 2011

The writer was a Ford Scholar at the Programme in Arms Control, Disarmament and International Security at UIUC (1997) and a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Foreign Policy Studies Programme

Colonel Sultan Amir Tarar, better known by the nom de guerre ‘Imam’, is dead, brutally executed by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The videotape of Imam being shot and his body dragged around emerged only days ago, but reports suggest he was killed in January this year, 10 months after he was kidnapped. His death, as also the earlier killing of Khawaja, provides intriguing insights into the TTP threat and its relations with the Afghan Taliban.

The details are known but here’s a quick recap.

The story started in March last year when Imam, along with two other companions, former air force officer Khalid Khawaja and British freelance journalist Asad Qureshi, went to North Waziristan. The real reason for the visit remains a matter of debate, but the ostensible one was to do a documentary on US Predator attacks in the agency for Channel 4, which had commissioned an independent film company to shoot it. Qureshi was the media person and the two former military officers, both known to be sympathetic to the Taliban, were with him to facilitate his work and use that documentary to agitate the issue in the courts and with the public.

From Bannu they went to Mir Ali and then disappeared. A series of videotapes emerged in April last year which confirmed they were in captivity. The group that held them called itself the Asian Tigers, a front for the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ). The group’s operational head was Sabir Mehsud and the man dealing with the media and holding negotiations was Usman Punjabi, an LJ member.

Three jirgas were put together to intervene with the group and secure the release of the kidnapped men. Two of them had the backing of Taliban heavyweights. They failed and Khawaja was the first to go, shot in the head. It was amazing because it showed that some groups, affiliated with the TTP, had no regard for the Afghan Taliban even as these groups have been perpetrating violence within Pakistan on the pretext of jihad.

When I spoke with Khawaja’s son, Osama, shortly after a videotape showed his father confessing to being a “spy” and working for the ISI and the CIA, he clearly said that his father was on a mission to tell the TTP that their ranks had been penetrated by hostile agencies and they should stop attacking Pakistani interests. This was also corroborated by other sources. However, for various reasons, no one was prepared to own publicly the two former officers even as efforts were mounted to get them out.

Interestingly, the demands included not just the release of TTP terrorists but also money. At some point, Sabir, the man heading the group, thought Usman Punjabi was negotiating independent of him. He got Punjabi and his five men killed. This in turn got Hakeemullah Mehsud to send his men and kill Sabir along with his bodyguards. Their bodies were found in Razmak’s main bazaar with a letter saying Sabir was killed to avenge the death of Khalid Khawaja.

After Sabir’s killing, Col Imam and Qureshi were taken over by the TTP directly. Qureshi was released after his relatives paid a huge sum to the TTP but Imam was not released. It is intriguing that the TTP, which killed Sabir ostensibly for executing Khawaja, brutally killed Imam in January this year on charges that had nothing to do with Imam.

Interesting also is the fact that the TTP charge sheet included drone attacks and some other issues, mostly dealing with the Afghan Taliban and their struggle, even as the Afghan Taliban were trying their best to get Imam released. A number of smaller details, criminal activities, operational choices, target acquisition etcetera make analysts believe that there is something deeply amiss vis-a-vis the TTP.

The loose confederation of groups and the brutality with which they have attacked Pakistan’s interests is another issue that one has to take note of; coupled with this are multiple reports about the penetration of these groups by hostile agencies.

One thing is clear: The TTP, for all its rhetoric about the Afghan jihad, is focused on Pakistan. And in that focus it has attacked, and continues to attack, Pakistan on the pretext of Islamabad being a US ally in the war on terror. Interesting it would be to find out what the real agenda is.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2011.

Ending Kurram’s sectarian strife

By Asad Munir

Published: June 25, 2010

The writer has served as head of the ISI and MI for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Fata (asad.munir@tribune.com.pk)

Kurram Agency was part of Afghanistan until the signing of the Gandamak Treaty on May 26, 1879. As per clause nine of this treaty, the districts of Kurram, Pishin and Sibi, were placed under the protection and administrative control of the British government, but were not permanently severed from the limits of the Afghan kingdom. The revenues of these districts, after deducting the charges of civil administration, were remitted to Afghanistan. In 1893, the Durand line Treaty was signed and Kurram became a part of British India. Kurram’s area is 3,380 sq km and population is around 500,000. The main tribes are Turi, Bangash, Mangal and Parachamkani while Orakzai, Massozai, Alisherzai, Zaimusht, Kharotai, Ghalgi, Zadran,Muqbal and Hazara also live there. Kurram is divided into three sub-divisions: upper, lower and central. The first two are administered through the Frontier Crime Regulation, the Kohat Pact and customary law known as ‘Turizuna’, while central Kurram is administrated indirectly through tribal elders. Kurram and Orakzai are the two areas of Fata where Shia-Sunni strife causes major law and order issues. The sectarian conflict and inter-tribal rivalry are intertwined and a dispute over, say, water between two villages, can spread to the entire area.

In 1982, sectarian violence started in Sadda in lower Kurram. Sixty-eight Shia families were forced to abandon their homes and had to take refuge in Parachinar. The matter was resolved through a jirga in 1990, but the decision has still not been implemented. In April and November 2007, the worst sectarian fighting in Kurram’s history took place. The Taliban had infiltrated the Sunni area and raised a local Taliban force. Their commander was under Baitullah Mehsud’s direct control. Forty villages were destroyed, and about 2,060 houses were set ablaze. More than 2,300 families were displaced and 95 places of worship were attacked. Land mines were planted in the fields. Snipers from both sects continuously fired on their opponent’s villages. The Thall-Parichinar road was closed for Shias, who in retaliation prevented the Sunnis of upper Kurram from travelling on the Parachinar road. The political administration took some steps that defused the situation, but was not a permanent solution. In October 2008, an accord was signed in Murree.The elders and tribal chiefs of the two rivals — the Turi and Mangal tribes — signed a written agreement in the presence of the members of parliament from the Agency for a permanent peace. However, this accord has yet to be implemented. Clearly, this needs to be done.

Adequate force should be placed at the disposal of the political administration. Legislators from the agency should be involved and jirgas should be held to implement the Murree Agreement. The Frontier Corps, Frontier Constabulary and police should be deployed to block routes from North Waziristan, and in Tor Ghar Mamoo up to Hugu, so that the Hangu-Thall-Parachinar road can be made safe for travel. Rehabilitation of IDPs should also be made in phases. As a first step, elders of both sects should engage to settle the displaced Sunnis and Shias of lower Kurram. The decision of resettlement of Shias, displaced from Sadda in 1982, must be implemented through a jirga. Compensation should be paid to all whose property was destroyed during the conflict. Also, properties confiscated during the fighting, should be returned to the real owners through the jirga, comprising of elders from both sects. The crisis in Kurram is not a normal law and order situation. It needs special handling and a focused strategy.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2010.

The Pashtun and jihadi movements

By Asad Munir

Published: April 25, 2011

The writer is a retired brigadier who has served in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Fata asad.munir@tribune.com.pk

The Pashtuns have always been at the forefront of almost all jihadi movements recorded in the subcontinent’s history. Thousands have died since the new round of jihad started in 1978. Some tribal people rose up in arms against the Saur Revolution and initiated a movement. Jihad was not an unfamiliar word to them since their ancestors had waged jihad on many occasions in the past. Independence, difficult and inaccessible terrain, tribal structure, code of Pashtunwali, badal, honour, religious fervour, possession of arms by almost each individual and so on make Pashtuns inclined towards participation in a religion-based struggle.

Pir Roshan of Kaniguram in South Waziristan, who lived in the 16^thcentury, was against the religious customs practiced in the area. He was a strong supporter of equal rights for women. He also opposed dynastic rule and advocated that leaders should be chosen on the basis of their capabilities and not on kinship. He is credited with inventing the Pashtu script, alphabets and some grammar. However, he was anurmer (Burki), but he spoke Pashtu and all his followers were Pashtuns. Due to strong opposition from his own family, he left the area and preached in Mohmand, Charsadda and other Yousafzai and Mohmadzai areas. After Emperor Akbar came up with his concept ofDin-e-Ilahi, Pir Roshan rebelled against the Mughals using Tirah (in present-day Khyber Agency) as his base. He was defeated in a battle in Nangrahar but survived. Ultimately, a Yousafzai lashkar near Tarbela killed him in 1581. His son, Jajala, assumed the leadership and fought many battles against the Mughals, killing Raja Birbal near Jamrud.

Then take the case of Rohilla, a Pashtun princely state. Syed Ahmed Shaheed was from Bareilly and may or may not have been a Rohilla Pashtun, but spoke Pashtu from his childhood. He was a trusted lieutenant of Shah Abdul Aziz, who got him trained in the army of another Pashtun, Amir Khan of Tonk. He travelled to Makkah and Madina and was influenced by the teachings of Adul Wahab. He declared India as darul harab and migrated to the Pashtun-dominated area of India via Afghanistan. Local Pashtun tribals joined him in large numbers for jihad against the Sikhs. He wanted to establish a darul Islam and spread the message of Wahabism to the Muslims of India. He fought a number of battles against Sikhs but was ultimately killed in Balakot in 1831. His followers refused to accept his death and propagated that he had hid himself and would reappear at an opportune occasion. They assembled in Satana and in 1858 the British had to launch an operation to uproot them.

In 1897, Sadullah Khan from Buner, known as the Sartor Faqir and referred to by the British as the ‘mad mullah’, organised tribes in a rebellion against the British garrison of Malakand. His followers from Bajaur, Dir, Swat and Buner were convinced that he had supernatural powers and could perform miracles. He promised the mujahideen that a hidden army was waiting behind a mountain. The moment the jihad would start, Allah would unleash this army, and all the infidels would be killed. The Ghazis would be rewarded in this world and the shaheeds would be rewarded in paradise. He was able to muster the support of more than one thousand tribals. On July 1897, the Faqir attacked Chakdara and Malakand. Due to lack of planning and non-appearance of the ‘hidden’ army, the jihadis dispersed, leaving a large number of dead, including some British. The Faqir survived and continued with his jihad in different areas until he died in 1917.

The Faqir of Ipi fought a jihad against the British for 12 years (1935-47) in Waziristan and Kamal Malikdin Khel fought against the forces of Richard Warburton in Khyber for a number of years. The recent movement of Sufi Muhammad, who captured six districts in Malakand in November 1994, forced the traffic to ply on the right, left being deemed un-Islamic. In 2001, he motivated more than 5,000 Pasthuns to fight Nato, though they fled without even firing a single round. There are other numerous examples wherein religious leaders have led the Pashtuns in jihad.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26^th, 2011.

The death of Colonel Imam

Brig. Asad Munir: The Death Of Colonel Imam

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ADDED JAN 6, 2010, UNDER: COLONEL IMAM , INTELLIGENCE , ISI , TALIBAN , TERRORISM , TTP , US

There are conflicting reports about the cause of death of Colonel Imam, about the place where he died, the groups responsible for his death and even the very manner of his death. A well-known former ISI officer, he was a strong supporter of the cause of the Taliban, idolised their six-year rule and felt proud of his contributions in shaping and organising the Taliban as a force. He openly criticised US intervention in Afghanistan and believed that withdrawal of foreign forces would guarantee peace in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Except for some adverse remarks against the local Taliban, he praised and supported jihadi activities. A man with such a background and credentials should not have been kidnapped and kept captive for almost a year by the forces he supported. What may have been the possible reasons for his treatment and eventual death?

Both parties, the group responsible for his kidnapping as well as the colonel, clearly miscalculated and misread the situation. Colonel Imam most likely overrated his standing among the militants. Since he had been supporting the cause of the Taliban and was always critical of the US, he was confident that extremists, operating in Tribal areas, would welcome him warmly. He was familiar with some areas in Afghanistan, but knew little about the dynamics of Fata, particularly the security environment that emerged post-9/11.

The kidnappers, most probably from a splinter group of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, misjudged the importance of the colonel. They may have heard stories about him, some true, some based on half-truths and most on glorification and fiction. They must have believed the stories run by the western media about retired ISI officers supporting al Qaeda and the Taliban. The demands his captors made for the release of people arrested for attacks on military installations after his capture would suggest that they believed he still worked for the army/ISI and that these institutions would have accepted such demands for his release.

The release of some terrorists by the army, in exchange for soldiers in the custody of Baitullah Mehsud, was also a precedent known to his abductors. However, like most Pakistanis, they were probably not aware that unless a retired officer is formally re-employed, no agency would task him to undertake any assignment.

Another important aspect highlighted by this incident is that there is no central authority of the terrorists operating in Fata. The likely scenario is that there are different cells, with probably variant goals and objectives, operating there and not interfering in each other’s affairs. Had there been a central authority, it could have exercised influence on the culprits to get the colonel released. The other possibility is that the colonel’s relationship with the Afghan Taliban leadership was perhaps not as close as he had claimed it to be.

Question marks on the Haqqani network’s control over North Waziristan also arise. It is likely that Jalaluddin Haqqani would have made all possible efforts for the colonel’s release, given Imam’s involvement in the Afghan jihad, of which Haqqani was a major player. The fact that he died in captivity, indicates that either Haqqani did not make any serious efforts for his release or he is not in a position to dictate terms to other groups operating in the area. The other possibility is that the release of terrorists involved in attacks on the GHQ and the Parade Lane mosque were considered more important than the life of Colonel Imam.

One may not agree with the vision and conviction of Colonel Imam, but the fact is that he was fully committed and dedicated to the cause which, in his opinion, was good for this country. May his soul rest in peace.

Asad Munir is a retired Brigadier from the ISI who served in KP and FATA areas.

The death of Colonel Imam

Parachinar:Taliban and Frontier Corps attack on Locals | Azadnegar International Free News Agency

Yesturday night at 11 p.m,Taliban attacked on local village Balishkhel using heavy weapons.According to informations,the Frontier Corps also help the Talibans using tanks and helicopter firing on innocent and peace lover locals.

In the fighting,Liaqat Hussain s/o Noor Hussain and Wahid Hussain martyred and four got injured while defending againt Taliban and supporters.

The FC is supporting the Taliban for last two years.They are providing every possible help when they attack on different shia villages.

Parachinar:Taliban and Frontier Corps attack on Locals | Azadnegar International Free News Agency

Al Jazeera World: I knew bin Laden

Militant commander killed in Kurram clashes

PARACHINAR, May 24: A militant commander was killed and three tribesmen were injured when fresh clashes erupted in Kurram tribal region on Tuesday, sources said.

They said that militant commander Fareed Marwat, a resident of Lakki Marwat district, was shot dead during a clash in Baleshkhel and Khar Kallay areas of upper Kurram.

Sources said that his body was sent to his native town. Three members of Turi tribe were also injured in the fighting, they added. Militants fired missiles and rockets from the hills of Tangi at the populated areas of Shalozan and Luqmankhel with some intervals, creating panic and fear among the residents. The residents expressed anguish over the silence of local administration and security forces.

Militants expedited their attacks soon after Peshawar corps commander and IG FC, during their addresses to a tribal jirga in Parachinar, hinted at launching a military operation in the tribal region.

The tribal elders had assured security forces of all out cooperation in case the operation was launched.

The elders of Turi-Bangash tribe, traders, ulema, members of parliament staged protest demonstration against local administration and FC personnel for allegedly supporting militants.

Complete shutdown was observed in Parachinar Bazaar and a rally was taken out by Turi tribesmen to lodge their protest against the alleged links between administration and their rival tribes.

The rally, after passing through various roads, converged on Hayat Shaheed Park where it turned into a big public meeting. The protesters were chanting slogans against government, administration and FC personnel.

The rally was addressed by head of Turi-Bangash tribe Capt (retired) Yousaf Turi, MNA Sajjid Turi, former Senator Alama Syed Abid Hussain, Alama Altaf Hussain and others.

They alleged that security forces were targeting their men instead of taking action against militants. “Despite our cooperation with security forces during operation such attitude is out of our understanding,” they said.

They alleged that their two men were killed and several others injured in artillery shelling by security forces.

Meanwhile, deadlock was reported in the talks with militants for safe release of 31 kidnapped passengers. Sources said that Taliban demanded Rs60 million as ransom for release of 31 Turi tribesmen, who were kidnapped by them on March 26.

KOHAT: At least 15 houses were burnt when Taliban attacked Jammu area in Frontier Region of Kohat on Monday night.

The residents of the area had raised an armed lashkar against Taliban.

The militants, who came from Darra Adamkhel, torched several houses, forcing the inmates to run for their safety. The attackers sprinkled kerosene oil on the houses and set them on fire.

Fifteen houses were gutted completely, however, no loss of life was reported in the attack, according to an official press issued here on Tuesday.

Shafarish Khan, a local tribal elder, told Dawn that the tribesmen of Jammu had vacated the village on the orders of army for a search operation last month.

They were living in Kohat with their relatives and in rented houses and hotels, he added.

Security forces had also established two checkpoints in the village to stop intrusion of militants from Darra Adamkhel. But the biggest threat faced by the local tribesmen was rockets fired by militants from the mountains. Such attacks had claimed several lives.

The tribesmen had started returning to their homes recently after army took control of the village.

Militant commander killed in Kurram clashes

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With honour: Lt Yasir Abbas laid to rest

Lieutenant Yasir Abbas. FILE PHOTO

LAHORE: The funeral of Pakistan Navy Lieutenant Yasir Abbas who was martyred in the terrorist attack on PNS Mehran in Karachi, has been offered in Lahore, Tuesday.

Abbas was among the first to encounter the terrorists raiding the base. Interior minister Rehman Malik said Abbas’ brave efforts saved lives and vital military assets in the operation.

Governor Punjab Latif Khosa, Lahore Corps Commander Lieutenant General Rashid mehmood, Navy Station Commander Akbar Naqi and Deputy Speaker of Punjab Assembly Rana Mash-hud attended the funeral prayers.

Abbas’ body arrived in Lahore on Monday night on a C-130 aircraft, and was later shifted to the hospital.

Defence Secretary Azhar Ali Khan and Former D-G Rangers Yaqoob Ali Khan handed over Abbas’ body to his father, Retired Lieutenant Colonel Jaffar Abbas.

Abbas has been buried at the Cavalry Grounds graveyard with full military honours.

Online, dozens of Facebook pages have been created to honour Abbas’ valour in the line of duty.

With honour: Lt Yasir Abbas laid to rest

Parachinar Protest At Parlement House Islamabad 01.flv

Pakistanis slam Shia killing in Parachinar

SPECIAL DOCUMENTARY FILM(Video CD) LAUNCHED ON PAKISTANI GAZA PARACHINAR KURRAM AGENCY Part5.flv

SPECIAL DOCUMENTARY FILM(Video CD) LAUNCHED ON PAKISTANI GAZA PARACHINAR KURRAM AGENCY Part4.flv

SPECIAL DOCUMENTARY FILM(Video CD) LAUNCHED ON PAKISTANI GAZA PARACHINAR KURRAM AGENCY Part3.flv

SPECIAL DOCUMENTARY FILM(Video CD) LAUNCHED ON PAKISTANI GAZA PARACHINAR KURRAM AGENCY Part2.flv

SPECIAL DOCUMENTARY FILM(Video CD) LAUNCHED ON PAKISTANI GAZA PARACHINAR KURRAM AGENCY

Jang Multimedia sex assaults and big names.....

Jang Multimedia

Gunmen shot dead a Saudi diplomat as he was driving in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi on Monday

Jang Multimedia

Parachinar: the valley of massacre by R.A. Toori

Everything that was exquisite is now bruised and stained with the blood of innocent people

Parachinar was once paradise on earth but it has been burning in the fires of terrorism for years. The prices of commodities have sky-rocketed, poverty has made life hellish, and hospitals lack medicines and facilities. All roads leading out of the area are blocked and there is little communication with the outside world. Life has been paralyzed.

The entire area is rife with aggressive sentiments in response to extremism – revenge, rebellion and sectarianism. Situations like this can cause revolutions that have the potential to shake even stable countries.

Nine years in to the war on terror and tensions in Fata have not abated nor have any big wig terrorists been caught. As a result the geographically important frontier region, which has always been key to the security of Pakistan, is at great risk. People here are unable to cope with this situation any longer.

People sometimes ask me, “Is there no issue other Fata? Why do you persistently write on the same subject?”

I bow my head, as my eyes fill with tears and whisper:

“What is new for me? All my pains, wounds, troubles and grievances are elderly and infinite. My area has been facing these circumstances for decades and nothing can guarantee it strength. How can I conceal my sighs while my hometown is in a permanent war of sectarianism and terrorism? My alma mater, the hospitals where my illnesses were cured, the college where I studied, the roads on which I have travelled, the springs from where I quenched my thirst with clean water, the rivers in which I swam and caught fish, the valley where I heard the melodies of birds, the hills and meadows where my cattle grazed, and everything that nurtured my childhood and youth – everything that was exquisite – my area is now bruised and stained with the blood of innocent people. How can I breathe peacefully?”

I ask for nothing more than the rescue of human life, peace and tranquility in Fata and fundamental rights which human beings enjoy in civilised democratic societies. This is what is for my hometown and in each town of the area.

The people of the tribal areas will never pardon Ziaul Haq, a heartless and spiteful dictator who turned their serene area into a breeding ground for terrorism producing armed combatants for prepared fot merciless slaughtering. Prior to him, the people in FATA lived with their precious culture and friendly traditions, strange as they may be. They had great enthusiasm for advancement and modernization. But the military dictator planted hatred in their hearts by setting up terrorist camps there in the name of so-called jihad or holy war.

The authority terrorists have gained in the area of Charpi Morr, Totkasa, Tor Ghar, Sadaa tehsil (of the lower part of Kurram Agency) and in Hangu, can be gauged by the fact that the Thall-Parachinar road has been hazardous for residents of Parachinar for the last three years. They have often come under attack in Afghanistan and on the Thall-Parachinar road.

Time and again men, women and children from Parachinar have been attacked, kidnapped and tortured. Whenever these terrorists kidnap people, they torture them ruthlessly by cutting off their noses, ears, limbs and feet prior to beheading them after which they either throw the bodies in to open fields or send them back to their hometowns. When the people of Parachinar receive the mutilated dead bodies of their near and dear ones they become aggressive and violent. Consequently, the area comes under continual war of sectarianism. Clashes between residents of Parachinar and the Taliban have resulted in thousands of casualties with irreparable damage to the basic infrastructure of this earthly heaven.

Roads out of Parachinar have been blocked for the last three years and whenever they do open some calamity takes place. The Toori tribe has diplomatically and repeatedly raised the issue before the government but so far nothing has been done.

It would seem that the present government is uninterested in Parachinar even though both Shaheed Z.A Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto loved the area and its people. They both personally visited Parachinar as Prime Minister’s of Pakistan and initiated progress and stability programs in the area. Before her martyrdom Benazir Bhutto had affectionately promised locals that she would make Parachinar a heavenly place to live once again.

The PPP government is making amends with Balochistan through the Aghaz-e-Haqooq Balochistan package. It is addressing the vulnerabilities of women and the poor through the Benazir Income Support Program and has brought the country on the path to democracy with the 18^th amendment. It had empowered the people of Gilgit-Baltistan with the tremendous Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order 2009.

Now, it is time the Government of Pakistan take essential steps for the rehabilitation of the tribal areas – ignored for 63 years, the people face miserable conditions and lack basic human rights. These people believe that only the Pakistan People’s Party can comprehend their tribulations and take up their cause.

Every day, terrorism worsens with no possibility of light at the end of the tunnel. The government must take immediate action for the rescue of Parachinar as the area is at the edge of geographical risk.

The Pakistan Army continues fierce measures, in Swat and throughout the tribal area – similar needs to be taken against miscreants around the Thall-Peshawar road. The army is highly valued and esteemed by the people of Parachinar and is always greeted warmly in the valley for the peace process and protection they offer the surrounding border.

The people of Fata have fought, shoulder by shoulder with the Pakistan Army in every war of Pakistan. These are not tribesmen who are launching attacks, killing innocent people and fighting against the army but miscreants and terrorists.

Parachinar: the valley of massacre by R.A. Toori