In the wake of frequent terrorist attacks in Swabi district, most non-government organisations (NGOs) and residents of the area have been forced to abandon their offices and homes and move to guarded localities of Islamabad and Peshawar, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Swabi district has consistently made headlines because of various violent acts in the area over the last decade. The most recent attack involved the targeted killing of seven people, including six women of a local NGO, Ujala. National media has been accused of failing to fulfil its civic responsibility by ignoring the one of the most brutal terrorist attacks in the region and focusing, instead, on New Year’s celebrations.
Violence is not new to the Swabi district. A few months ago, an improvised explosive Device (IED) exploded after the chief minister’s envoy passed through the city. Similarly, mobile phone shops and CD stores have become a common target of attacks in the area. Political leaders in the region have also been targeted; a convoy of Fazlur Rehman of Jamiat-e-Ulema-Islam (JUI) came under a suicide attack. While the leader was unhurt, the suicide bombing left over a dozen people dead. Ironically, Swabi is considered to be one of the safer districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
These targeted attacks have forced several influential families of the city to seek “undeclared internally displaced people” status from the government. Moreover, the militants have also enforced a system of extortion on educational institutions in the area, whereby they threaten to attack or shut down schools if a certain amount of money is not paid.
At least seven workers of a local NGO Ujala were shot dead by unidentified assailants while they were closing their school and health center. At least five of these workers were school teachers and two were from the Health Department. This brazen attack not only points to the failure on the part of the media to highlight security issues in the region but also a failure on the part of government officials to ensure the safety of citizens.
Soon after the attack on the NGO workers, people from affluent families started receiving anonymous telephone calls and letters, demanding huge sums of payment in exchange for the assurance that their family members would not be kidnapped or killed.
Locals of the area have also confirmed that a number of private schools, including one run by a national political party, have been closed. Owners and managers of these educational institutions have abandoned their homes and shifted to Peshawar and Islamabad. Some of them have gone underground in an attempt to secure their lives.
A number of ministers and parliamentarians were contacted by Pakistan Today. All of them confirmed these reports but were reluctant to be named. A political worker from the Awami National Party (ANP), on condition of anonymity, told Pakistan Today that efforts were being made to combat the trends of terrorism and violence in the area. Civil society activists and police administration refused to comment on the issue.
