Swat Valley — Beginning of a new era
Swat is an exceptional scenic valley located in northwest of Pakistan. The valley was once a stronghold for Talibans where state had almost lost its control there. TV was banned, public hangings were common, girls were not allowed to go to school, even the schools were destroyed. Then finally after a long lasting fight between the Armed forces of Pakistan and militants in Swat, the state has finally succeeded to take the full control of the valley.
The first operation against Talibans was started in 2007, that operation was also known as Rah-e-Haq. All the area was evacuated, locals were asked to leave the area. Fighting the militants who claimed that no force can compete them in the region was not an easy task. The militants had their hiding places and occupied all the top positions from where they can easily launch attack on ground and on air as well. The fight ended with a peace agreement between Talibans and the state.
The second operation, known as Rah-e-Raast, started by Pakistan’s armed forces in 2009. It started when the peace agreement was not being followed and clashes started to happen between the two parties. It was then when Pakistani government decided to launch a mega operation and take the control of the valley. The main city of Mingora was taken back by the Pakistani forces after a deadly street fight with the militants. Buildings were searched thoroughly and the commanders of the militants were eliminated or captured.
All the remaining militants and their commanders were also eliminated or captured from small villages of swat. The cleanup process was continued and the escaped militants were chased. And finally the locals were shifted back to their homes and the state provided them with shelter and food as their towns were actually ruins after the battle.
In 2012, there was a terrorist attack on the local school girls, one of them was Malala Yousafzai. The incident sparked outrage in Pakistan and internationally, and was an indicator that are still some militants left in the valley. Pakistan finally ended all the left overs of militants in 2018 and the valley is now becoming a top tourist spot with time.
Reviving Tourism
Government of KPK and the federal government are taking measures to revive the tourism in swat. For the past couple of years, the valley attracted huge number of local and foreign tourists.
Traders who left the area during the Taliban era have returned to Swat, and its city of Mingora has once again become a business hub. Whenever you visit mingora, you would believe that once there were only sounds of gun fires and all the buildings were ruined. The city is back to it’s normal life.
Tourists have also made a steady comeback to escape the sweltering summers of the big cities. The hotel industry, which bore the brunt of militancy, is also picking up the pieces. “There are over 400 hotels that were affected. We are trying to restore them but it is difficult without government support,” said Zahid Khan, head of the Swat Hotels Association. “The government should construct roads, open banks, control prices, and create a friendly environment for tourists if they want to bring back tourism in the region,” he added.(via: www.aa.com.tr)
According to the provincial tourism department, one million people including foreigners visited Swat in 2018. The figure is increasing massively as the time passes. Government is also building tourist spots and supporting the local people.
See Discovery Pakistan’s video on Swat Valley here.
