Mohammad Afzal Khan Lala: The man who stood up against militancy
The ANP leader refused to leave Swat when militancy in the valley was at its peak.
SWAT:
Mohammad Afzal Khan Lala, an Awami National Party (ANP) leader, refused to leave Swat when militancy in the valley was at its peak. He preferred to live in the Taliban stronghold, Bar Durushkhela of Matta tehsil, and survived despite his house being attacked several times. He was even injured in a roadside ambush but still stayed. Lala’s determination and valour not only earned him global applause but also the ‘Hilal-e-Shujat’ from the president of Pakistan.
In an exclusive interview with The Express Tribune, Lala answered several questions on the past, present and future of Swat’s connection with terrorism. “Militancy was brought to the region by outsiders. Sufi Mohammad, a member of Jamaat-i-Islami, brought the Sharia movement here instead of starting it in his own native land (Maidan, Dir district),” he said, adding that the recent insurgency was supported and backed by the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) government. “Armed militants were allowed to patrol the roads freely, every wall was chalked with slogans regarding Sharia while a large quantity of weapons was brought into the valley. But the MMA government did not stop anything.”
Lala said it was tragic how every decision regarding Swat has always come from above. No one from Swat was a part of the two peace accords with the Taliban, he said.
Lala said that the army should not leave Swat, even if it claims to have cleared the valley, because more than half of all militants, including their top leadership, are alive and in hiding.
Answering a question on whether these militants are likely to come back, he said that this was not possible as the people of Swat are now well aware of the militants’ agenda. “People will not let them sabotage peace anymore.”
On the rehabilitation of the victims of militancy and floods, Lala said all government departments and institutions are corrupt and will never allow the rehabilitation process to be successful. “In my view, the entire process of reconstruction and rehabilitation should be handed over to the army,” he said, adding that the decision to establish a cantonment in Swat was up to the army.
Lala said that in the past, Pakhthuns solved their issues through jirgas so keeping their personal and political benefits in mind, a grand jirga should be formed comprising Pakhtun representatives from both ends of the Durand Line.
“Then, two main points need to be worked out: Why did two superpowers fight their war in the land of the Pakhtuns and what were their motives; and how to escape being part of wars being fought by others,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 26th, 2011.
Mohammad Afzal Khan Lala, an Awami National Party (ANP) leader, refused to leave Swat when militancy in the valley was at its peak. He preferred to live in the Taliban stronghold, Bar Durushkhela of Matta tehsil, and survived despite his house being attacked several times. He was even injured in a roadside ambush but still stayed. Lala’s determination and valour not only earned him global applause but also the ‘Hilal-e-Shujat’ from the president of Pakistan.
In an exclusive interview with The Express Tribune, Lala answered several questions on the past, present and future of Swat’s connection with terrorism. “Militancy was brought to the region by outsiders. Sufi Mohammad, a member of Jamaat-i-Islami, brought the Sharia movement here instead of starting it in his own native land (Maidan, Dir district),” he said, adding that the recent insurgency was supported and backed by the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) government. “Armed militants were allowed to patrol the roads freely, every wall was chalked with slogans regarding Sharia while a large quantity of weapons was brought into the valley. But the MMA government did not stop anything.”
Lala said it was tragic how every decision regarding Swat has always come from above. No one from Swat was a part of the two peace accords with the Taliban, he said.
Lala said that the army should not leave Swat, even if it claims to have cleared the valley, because more than half of all militants, including their top leadership, are alive and in hiding.
Answering a question on whether these militants are likely to come back, he said that this was not possible as the people of Swat are now well aware of the militants’ agenda. “People will not let them sabotage peace anymore.”
On the rehabilitation of the victims of militancy and floods, Lala said all government departments and institutions are corrupt and will never allow the rehabilitation process to be successful. “In my view, the entire process of reconstruction and rehabilitation should be handed over to the army,” he said, adding that the decision to establish a cantonment in Swat was up to the army.
Lala said that in the past, Pakhthuns solved their issues through jirgas so keeping their personal and political benefits in mind, a grand jirga should be formed comprising Pakhtun representatives from both ends of the Durand Line.
“Then, two main points need to be worked out: Why did two superpowers fight their war in the land of the Pakhtuns and what were their motives; and how to escape being part of wars being fought by others,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 26th, 2011.