Transition: Malakand to be handed over to civil administration

Madyan, Bahrain and Kalam to be handed over by March 12, Malakand Agency in June, Chitral and Dir by end of the year.

SWAT:

A unanimous decision to transfer control of Malakand division to the civil administration in phases was taken in the first ever “Security and Development Conference” held at Khwaza Khela on Thursday.

According to ISPR Swat, participants unanimously decided to hand over command and control of Malakand division to the civil administration in the conference chaired by General Officer Commanding Swat Maj. Gen. Ghulam Qamar.

Madyan, Bahrain and Kalam will be handed over to the civil administration by March 12, followed by Malakand Agency in June and Chitral and Dir by the end of this year.

The conference was attended by senior army and civil officials including commissioner Malakand division, deputy inspectors general and deputy commissioners of all districts.

Swat, once famous for its beauty and serenity, attracted tourists from across the world till terrorists took over the valley in 2007.

To restore peace in the valley, Pakistan Army launched a decisive military operation in 2009 and eliminated anti-state forces.

Locals have endorsed the decision and dubbed it a step towards peace and stability. “The decision will prove to be good one for peace and development now that everything is back to normal in Swat,” said

Roshan Khan, a civil society member. Shahid Iqbal, a political activist, welcomed the decision and said that unnecessary check posts should also be removed.

“Tourism is the backbone of Swat valley and with many check posts, tourist will not prefer to come to the valley.”

“Until control of the entire Malakand division is transferred to civilians, development cannot take place in the region, stated Riaz Khan, a Swat University student.

Talking to The Express Tribune, he said, “The army has done its job successfully and now they should hand over civil matters to the local administration.”

However, many people are of the view that police and civil law enforcement agencies should be strengthened before the entire region is transferred to the civil administration. Solid steps should be taken for the capacity building of these agencies and they should be trained in counterterrorism.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2012.