MINGORA: Coming out of the trauma of Talibanisation only recently, inhabitants of Swat now want the government to help restore their businesses, construct schools at the earliest and remove the security barricades at least from the city of Mingora.
Majority of the people are satisfied with the security situation and believe the Taliban will never be able to stage a return despite a recent call from Fazlullah, who was so far believed to be seriously injured and almost under siege, regarding his presence at a safer place in Afghanistan and launching of guerilla war in the valley.
Though some people are upset about the call, a majority say Fazlullah is a history now as the people of Swat would no more be conned in the name of Islam or other catchy slogan as done by the fugitive Taliban leader or his jailed father-in-law, Sufi Muhammad.
However, what the people want the government and the army troops to do was to compensate those who lost their near and dear ones, suffered businesses, farm and orchards losses; start the reconstruction process with a special focus on the rebuilding of schools for boys and girls and remove or at least decrease the number of the security barriers.
According official figures, nearly 300 schools have been destroyed or partially damaged during the wave of militancy in the valley over the past two years. None of those has been reconstructed so far and the boys and girls are studying in open sitting on the bare ground despite the prevailing cold weather.
“We’re happy that bombs are not going off in our city now and the security forces have successfully defeated the militants, but the most needed thing is the reconstruction process at this stage, which is yet to be started,” said Muhammad Roshan, a college teacher in the two of Saidu Sharif.
Launching of the much-needed reconstruction process could also generate employment for the people who had run out of the available cash during their days in camps, rented house or with host families before July this year, he added.
Educationist Ziauddin Yousafzai, an ardent voice for the people of Swat during the days of turmoil as well as today, is equally concerned about the plight of education in the valley.He says most of the government-owned schools had been destroyed and the students were studying in the razed buildings. “Hence, the government must start the reconstruction of schools at the earliest,” he argues. However, to the dismay of Swat people, not a single school has been reconstructed despite the lapse of nearly five months.
Businesses, mostly the hotel industry, were equally suffered during the turbulent days, but the owners do not see any ray of hope for the revival as the government and donor agencies are not coming to their help, while the banks are not accepting property in Swat for issuance of loans over the past two years.
According to Zahid Khan, president of the All Swat Hotels Association, owners of the luxury hotels in Fizza Ghat, Kalam or other tourist resorts were in dire need of assistance or at soft loans to revive the once thriving industry, which was the backbone of the people’s economy in the serene valley.
“Not only that the hotels lost their business over the past two years, many were damaged in the fighting while those which remained safe also need repair and furnishing which will cost the owners hundreds of thousands,” he added.
He said revival of the hotel industry was crucial in the present situation as it would not only generate hundreds of jobs, but also restore confidence of the locals and tourists in the security situation. Khan said there were 400 hotels and 460 restaurants in the valley.
Residents are equally concerned about the compensation package. While some complaining about non-payment of amounts pledged after the killing of their near and dear ones in terrorist attacks, other say the amounts promised to compensate for the destruction of their houses were far less.
Many residents of Makan Bagh, who lost their near and dear ones in a blast at the funeral of police office Javid Iqbal on February 29, 2008, are still awaiting paying of the additional compensation announced by the federal government.
Other residents say the maximum amount offered for damage or destruction of their house was insufficient. “Some people have spent hundreds of thousands and even millions on their houses, but the maximum amount promised for them is only Rs400,000. Is this any remedy,” asked Mohammd Gul
Abdul Wahab, the resident of Garhi Killay in Manglaway area, saying nothing had been paid to him for the destruction of his 11-room house. He said what he would do for 400,000, which was the maximum amount as he had spent more than a million on the construction 15 years ago.
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