[The News (Pak) Top Stories] The security forces Thursday carried out search in Mingora city for the second consecutive day to hunt down alleged would-be suicide bombers and their masterminds.Over a thousand persons were brought to Nishat Chowk in pouring rain to undergo search. Curfew was imposed during the search operation, which paralysed life in the city that had recently returned to normalcy. Schools, banks and other government and private offices and businesses remained close. Fifteen suspects were arrested but there was no trace of the bombers and their masterminds.
It was the third day of curfew in Mingora. This has added to the sufferings of the people. There were allegations of taunts to the people of Swat but the military spokesman in Swat rejected it as unfounded.
The security forces claim to have information about the presence of one or two suicide bombers and their masterminds in the city and have been doggedly combing the city of 300,000 people to track them down. Landay Kas, Makan Bagh and all mohallahs in Wazirmal and the main bazaar were searched. "Me and my guests were brought out of the hotel at 7:00am in the morning. We didn't have breakfast. The security forces took us to Nishat Chowk where some 1,000-1,200 people were assembled in the open in rain," said Wakil Khan, general secretary Swat Hotel Management. The soldiers, he added, shouted at the people who budged from the line or moved their limbs. "Why this insulting behaviour?" he asked and said they were not opposed to search operations but objected to the humiliating manner in which it was done.
The spokesman for the army-run Swat Media Centre, Major Mushtaq, said the security forces were not misbehaving with people but the soldiers needed to be harsh at times to control such a large number of people. Wakil took exception as to why they were not searched on their respective premises and led to the Nishat Chowk where they were made to stand in queues for hours in rain. "They shouldn't damage our self-respect. It is intolerable," he said.
A man, who requested anonymity, said a soldier taunted the people of Swat to be "dirty." But Major Mushtaq said it was untrue as such behaviour was strictly prohibited. "Recently, a soldier was punished for showing such behaviour when we received a complaint. If any such incident happens, people should report to military officers, or directly or indirectly to me. We take such soldiers to task," he told The News.
The people were gathered from different localities at Nishat Chowk, the square where a suicide bomber killed 13 persons and injured dozens others. They were questioned and their identity cards checked.
Online adds: Sources said over 1,500 suspects were arrested from different areas of Mingora during the search operation. Security forces also claimed to have arrested Musa Khan, an important militant commander, and his two accomplices from Kabal during clashes. The arrested militants have been shifted to unknown place for interrogation while, the troops also destroyed Musa Khan's house.