Paradise Lost (Swat)

2017

A religious movement initiated in mid-1990s by the Tehrik-e-Nafaz-eShariat-e-Mohamadi (TSNM) for bringing about Shariah in the valley of Swat gradually transformed into an armed insurgency by 2007. Initially, the government tried to quell the movement and the insurgency by small army operations and peace deals. However, when the insurgency strengthened in 2009, the government decided to carry out a large-scale army operation Rah-e-Rast. In this article I critically reflect on the immediate and deep-rooted causes of the fall of Swat Valley to the Taliban. The immediate causes include the flawed peace pacts between Pakistani State and the Taliban, and state’s reconciliatory policy and the resulting complacency. The deep rooted causes include partial merger of the valley with Pakistan, exploitation of religious sentiments, weak legal and judicial system, economic deprivation, international politics, and lack of comprehensive counter insurgency and de-radicalization policy.

2020

Unlike other faith-based conflicts, the militancy in Swat seems unique, as militants used religion for promoting their agenda and giving voices to the grievances of the poor people through a popular narrative likely without knowing narratology. Using narratives and narratology as a theoretical framework, this qualitative study is an effort to understand the essence of militants’ narrative in Swat and the mechanism through which they steered it up until the time it gained verisimilitude. Conducting 73 semi-structured interviews, the study finds that it was a planned strategy of the militants that popularized them in Swat, while they later lost this support due to their atrocities against general populace. The militants used the socially and culturally constructed narrative through FM radio and motivated the masses to follow their ideology and brand of Islamic Sharia. The study concludes that the formulation and popularization of social narratives play vital roles in social movements ...

Journal of Human Security, 2020

Unlike other faith-based conflicts, the militancy in Swat seems unique, as militants used religion for promoting their agenda and giving voices to the grievances of the poor people through a popular narrative likely without knowing narratology. Using narratives and narratology as a theoretical framework, this qualitative study is an effort to understand the essence of militants' narrative in Swat and the mechanism through which they steered it up until the time it gained verisimilitude. Conducting 73 semi-structured interviews, the study finds that it was a planned strategy of the militants that popularized them in Swat, while they later lost this support due to their atrocities against general populace. The militants used the socially and culturally constructed narrative through FM radio and motivated the masses to follow their ideology and brand of Islamic Sharia. The study concludes that the formulation and popularization of social narratives play vital roles in social movements and conflicts to muster popular support for promoting vested interests that can be used against the state and general public.

Beyond Swat: History, Society, and Economy along the Afghanistan-Pakistan Border. Eds. Magnus Marsden & Benjamin Hopkins. London: Hurst. , 2013

The paper is a description of the village in Swat, Pakistan, where the author did his fieldwork in 1977, and a comparison with the present situation, where social ties have been eroded and taliban-like religious parties have gained authority, both through moral appeals and through force. Sources of this transformation are outlined, including the influx of impoverished migrants from Afghanistan, matched by increased encroachment by the Pakistani. The complexities of this situation are illustrated in a narrative about the relationship between a suicide bomber and a Pukhtun doctor.

Pakistan Journal of Criminology, 2014

Before merging with Pakistan, the peace in Swat Valley was maintained with the help of Pashtun cultural traits under the rule of Main Gul Abdul Wadud. In his reign, the state affairs were governed according to the spirit of Pakhtun culture and Rewaj (customs). This approach enabled him to maintain durable peace in Swat. However, the post-merger period of the valley faced numerous challenges such as socio-cultural distortion, which provided spaces to radical forces. Moreover, the recent militancy in Swat Valley emerged after the socio-cultural distortion. Further, the socio-cultural distortion provides social and cognitive infrastructure to the growing militancy in Swat Valley.

Cogent Social Sciences

Fragility in governance and armed conflict are directly linked and are the causes and consequence of each other. This study aimed to understand pre and during conflict scenarios of fragile governance in Swat. This research used qualitative research design and conducted in depth interviews from multiple stakeholders ranging from government officials to men and women in the community. The results showed that weak legislation and legal plurality led to the fragility in governance that later on transformed into armed conflict. The findings reveal that the fragile administrative governance was the root cause in the initiation of armed insurgency in Swat.

The resurgence of the Taliban movement and its affiliate organisations in the Swat Valley of Pakistan since 2004, combined with military operations in 2009 and the displacement of residents created a humanitarian crisis in the area. The devastating floods of July 2010 again created opportunities for militant organisations to regain their lost position by filling the vacuum in relief efforts left by the government and international organisations. This paper suggests a framework for peacebuilding and conflict prevention in the region. The framework draws on the work of two scholar-practitioners-John-Paul Lederach and Mohammed Abu-Nimer-and practices from traditional Pakhtun, or Pashtun, culture to suggest ways in which the root cause of the conflict might be addressed to bring about peace and sustainable development. Finally, the paper suggests a number of peacebuilding strategies that need to be considered by governmental and non-governmental organisations for peacebuilding in this conflict zone. 1

Central Asia

Every conflict has its own peculiar and distinct characteristics that demands a defining response in the form of counterinsurgency. Before embarking on any such counterinsurgency campaign, it is of utmost significance to frame the parameters of the appropriate response. That arises the question as how much research has been carried out on the nature of insurgency and more importantly on the counterinsurgency. Such critical inquiries can lead the academicians and practitioners to explore as what was the pattern and nature of insurgency, i.e. secessionist, traditional or spiritual etc. More importantly, the relevant literature review must explain the contours of counterinsurgency operations. Besides, such research should bring forth the critical constraint and shortfalls of the counterinsurgency campaign vis-à-vis the civilian and military’s approach of handling the insurgency. In Pakistan’s Swat region, the insurgency posed an existential threat to the security of Pakistan. The post ...

Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal (LASSIJ), 2018

Violent conflicts have perpetual and perennial impacts on societies. Culture and ethnic identities of the people are no exception. This study reflects the impacts of conflict and violence on culture, specifically a single cultural code known as Jarga. Methodologically, the study is based on an ethnographic fieldwork, comprised of 45 open-ended and in-depth interviews, five Focus Group Discussions and personal observation in Swat. Through the conflict in Swat and Pukhtun cultural code of Jarga, it contends that the conflict and violence in Swat has multiple and significant impacts for Jarga. Jarga on higher level, like the Swat Qaumi Jarga (Swat National Jarga) has been more active since the conflict started in 2007, while Jarga on lower (village) level has lost its practice in many areas of Swat. Militants and Pakistani state have been often involved in forming, using, and manipulating Jargas in Swat amidst the conflict. Moreover, the conflict has repercussions for Tanzeems (local o...

Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt, 2017

Das Siegerland, eine Mittelgebirgslandschaft des Rheinischen Schiefergebirges im Süden von Nordrhein-Westfalen sowie im Norden von Rheinland-Pfalz, ist durch sein Relief, sein Klima sowie seine schweren Böden nie ein landwirtschaftlicher Gunstraum gewesen und daher keine Altsiedellandschaft. Die Region war hingegen wirtschaftlich bis in die zweite Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts aufgrund reicher Erzvorkommen bedeutend. Die weltgrößte Sideritlagerstätte (Siegerland-Wied-Distrikt) bietet in der Oxidationszone der Gangerze Hämatite, Limonite sowie Goethite und darüber hinaus im nördlichen Siegerland (Olpe-Müsen-Bezirk) weitere Mineralisationen, die u. a. Kupfer oder Silber liefern. In einer Fallstudie an eisenzeitlichem Leichenbrand aus Netphen-Deuz werden archäologisch sowie anthropologisch Aspekte der Migration und des Kulturtransfers in diese (spätere) Montanlandschaft diskutiert. Auf der Grundlage des archäologischen Befundes konnte mittels 87Sr/86Sr-Isotopenanalysen der Einzugsbereich der Bestatteten wahrscheinlich gemacht werden. Die nordhessische Wetterau wird somit als Herkunfts- und Absatzgebiet der Siegerländer Montangemeinschaften wahrscheinlich. Archaeological and anthropological aspects of migration and cultural transfer are discussed in a case study of Iran Age remated bones from Netphen-Deuz situated in the mining region Siegerland (southern Westphalia, Germany). Basing on the archaeological finds the possible origin of the buried individuals was reconstructed with the help of 87Sr/86Sr isotope analysis. The Wetterau in northern Hessia has figured out as a “base” of the Siegerland mining populations.