MINGORA, Pakistan — Two weeks after the Pakistani government gave in to Islamist demands and imposed Islamic law throughout the Swat Valley, armed militants are patrolling the streets of the district capital and masked gunmen have taken control of outlying districts, where they’re terrorizing residents and using intimidation to close girls’ schools.
Along major roads in the one-time tourist destination about 100 miles north of the capital, Islamabad, the Taliban has set up checkpoints. In the towns, militants have looted homes and stolen cars and vehicles belonging to charitable organizations, residents said.
The Pakistani government has portrayed the deal that it struck with the militants in February, which President Asif Ali Zardari signed April 13, as the means to re-establish the writ of the state.
Residents and officials said, however, that the Taliban appears to be in control and is pushing Swat toward becoming an independent extremist fiefdom.
“The Taliban have tasted power. They will not give that back,” said one Mingora teacher, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation by the extremists. “They have committed so many atrocities since 2007 that they can’t give up power; they would not be safe. People are just waiting for the day they can take revenge (on the Taliban).”
Despite the fact the militants are openly carrying arms in violation of the accord, and in the face of repeated U.S. warnings that extremists are aiming to seize power in Pakistan, the government and army have shown no sign that they intend to retake Swat by force.
“The peace deal has given them (the Taliban) a long life,” said Shaukat Saleem, a human-rights activist in Mingora. “Before, they could not roam freely in Mingora because there was a (military) operation on.”
The agreement with the militants has stopped the worst of the violence, and schools have reopened. During an 18-month rampage through Swat that ended in February, the Taliban butchered and plundered its way through the valley, blowing up nearly 200 schools, banning girls from education and barring women from markets.
Beheadings were a favorite execution style, especially for police officers and soldiers. Residents of Mingora would wake up to find headless corpses dumped in the town’s main square.
Beyond Mingora, which lies at the bottom of the long Swat Valley, the district is almost completely in Taliban hands, residents reported.
