In an article entitled, The Cheated People (Der betrogene Volk), the German newspaper Seuddeutsche Zeitung‘s online edition (seuddeutsche.de) offers a European perspective on the Swat crisis, a rough translation of which, together with some of their graphics, appears below.

The Cheated People

Tobias Matern, Islamabad

For days there has been heavy fighting in the Swat valley. Most Pakistanis reject the Taliban — but they do not trust their government to defeat the extremists.

People Flee Using All Possible Means (AFP Photo)

Most people in Pakistan feel betrayed. By the US invasion of Afghanistan which they think has imposed a war upon them, in which most of the victims are from their country. But also by their own government, which many classify as corrupt and incompetent. The majority of Muslims in Pakistan reject the perverted interpretation of Islam by the Taliban — and are even more surprised that their leadership has viewed these self-styled God’s warriors as being more powerful.

In February, the government concluded a ceasefire agreement with the radical cleric Sufi Muhammad, and left an entire region with 2.5 million inhabitants to the extremists. “This how it had also started in Afghanistan with the rise of the Taliban,” said a student of the Punjab University. “They were allowed to introduce the Sharia in only one region, but starting from there, they took over the whole country. We do not want this here.”

The peace pact has burst

"A woman in Peshawar carries a Burka which corresponds to the severe rules of the Taliban (Reuters Photo)"

For several days, the army has moved militarily against the Taliban in Swat valley. The peace pact has burst, because the Islamists did not comply with their agreement to lay down their arms. They used their new power base to penetrate into another area, which is only 100 kilometers from the capital Islamabad. In the West, but also in Pakistan, this has led to real panic. Unlike the US government, people in Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar are not concerned that the Taliban could bring the nuclear weapons arsenal of the country under their control. But they reject the radical methods of the Islamists: images of beheading, public floggings, and destroyed schools, have shocked the people.

Eyewitnesses reported on Thursday that fierce artillery battles were going on in the region. The armed forces used helicopters to shoot at extremists from the air. Thousands of residents took advantage of the temporary lifting of the curfew to flee. Pakistani news channels reported on the evening that the army had tightened its noose around the Taliban. One report said that more than 100 people were killed on Wednesday,  and dozens of supporters of the Taliban and security forces have again been killed on Thursday.

We cannot verify this information, but the son of the cleric Sufi Muhammad, with whom the Government had negotiated the pact for the Swat Valley, died in the fighting in an adjacent district. In Islamabad, the army is sending additional soldiers to weaken the militants. Government representatives have stated that the major offensive is still to come.

Dead on the street

Residents from the region reported dramatic scenes. Family members of dead and injured were civilians who, because of the fighting, had no chance to reach the open road. The Taliban have taken a number of people as hostages, and have prevented their escape. In an adjacent district they invaded the houses of security forces and kidnapped a dozen men. A senior policeman explained that although there were only a few thousand Taliban in Swat valley, the rugged terrain plays into their hands, as they can easily hide. “In this area not many fighters are needed to occupy an entire army,” said the man. The Taliban, said the police representative, also have large funds, with which they can easily recruit young fighters.

The Pakistani media devoted themselves on Thursday to the destiny of the refugees from the Swat valley. The newspaper Dawn criticised the authorities for not having taken any measures to provide a humane accommodation and food to the thousands of refugees. The journalists made fun of President Asif Ali Zardari who held talks with US president Barack Obama in Washington.

The Head of State probably wanted to set a world record, in how often the word “democracy” can be used in a sentence, said the presenter in one of the numerous discussion groups on television. Zardari had described terrorism as Pakistan’s “cancerous disease” in Washington, but had assured repeatedly that his democratically elected government, was on top of the situation — something that the government of Barack Obama had questioned publicly, before Zardari’s visit.

Most people in Pakistan do not believe that their leadership can get a grip on the situation in the years to come. In any conversation about the situation in the country, there are sounds of resignation, but also always the hope for better times. “Perhaps we need as a country to sink completely to the bottom, in order to rise up again,” said Saima Jasam, Pakistani employee of the Böll Foundation in Lahore. “This moment may now have come,” she added.