 NWFP Home Minister Shahzada Gustasip Khan said on Thursday that security forces had made considerable progress to establish the governmentÂ’s writ in the troubled areas of Swat district, adding that the security forces only took action in self defence.
| Not in defense of the citizenry or the laws of the land... |
He told reporters that the forces were maintaining law and order in Swat. The minister said, “The security forces were showing a maximum restraint to avoid casualties and the loss of property.” He said there was no formal operation going on in Swat, adding that militants took the lead in firing and the security forces only retaliated.
| Certainly nobody went in with the actual intention of establishing order... |
He did not rule out the possibility of the involvement of foreign elements behind the unrest in the area.
| Yeah. Everyone once in awhile y'see one o' them Esquimeaux skulking about. Sometimes it's a Samoan, but you can bet they're up to no good... |
MMA responsible: He held the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal government’s policies responsible for the ongoing unrest in Swat. “The unrest in Swat has not developed overnight.” He said most people wanted peace in the area and that they were concerned about deteriorating law and order. He said that Sharia courts were already working in the Malakand division, adding that the modus operandi adopted by the militants for the enforcement of Sharia in the district was wrong. He said the militants had an agenda other than the Sharia implementation that was why they were not resorting to dialogue.
| The "shariah" that's being introduced goes beyond the Soddies' vision of shariah... |
He rejected reports that the militants had kidnapped a foreign journalist and captured a Frontier Constabulary checkpost.
| "Nope. Nope. Never happened." |
He said the government was mobilising jirgas and peace committees to discourage the elements fanning hatred in the province.
| But they're unable or unwilling to shut down the illegal FM stations, which are easy enough to find and demolish. |
The minister said the government would welcome the former NWFP chief ministerÂ’s role to restore peace in the area. NWFP Home Secretary Badshah Gul Wazir said the security forces would stop the broadcast of a radio station run by militant leader Maulana Fazullah once they reach the area from where the station was being operated.
| Interesting admission of incompetence. You can locate that station within an hour to within a hundred feet using some relatively unsophisticated equipment on an aircraft. The equipment required to produce the kaboom is even less sophisticated, though it should probably be carried on a separate aircraft. For a sufficiently filthy amount of lucre I could even put that little project together for them using (relatively) off the shelf equipment. |
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