PESHAWAR: One could not differentiate between two pictures in Tuesday’s papers showing the widely scattered rubble of the destroyed buildings in Gaza and blown up schools in Swat valley until reading their captions.
The valley is replete with such scenes, as more than 170 schools have been bombed or torched besides other government-owned buildings. Also, more people have been killed in violence and military operations in the valley than the Israeli onslaught on Gaza, but the people have been unfortunate not to get due attention of the government, politico-religious parties and civil society, who have been crowding streets to protest the killing of Palestinians.
The blowing up of five schools on Monday in the heart of Mingora city belied the tall claims of the provincial and federal governments vis-‡-vis ensuring security to schools in Mingora in particular and rest of the valley in general. It added to the worries of the people and girls students and pointed towards the vulnerability of schools.
The federal and provincial governments insisted that they were capable of providing security to schools against the militants’ threat. “Education is the basic right of every citizen and the government will ensure it. We will provide security to schools. The militants are not capable to materialise their threat, but have been spreading propaganda to blackmail the government,” NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the other day.
Federal Minister for Information Sherry Rahman has also expressed the same resolve. However, their words proved to be hollow meant to give a false solace to the worried countrymen, particularly Swatis. “No special security was provided to schools. Protection to schools is impossible until improvement in the overall security situation. It’s writ of the government that ensures security to schools and all other installations, which is non-existent at the moment,” an officer of the administration said. However, he said that patrolling had been started to secure the city and more steps were afoot to block entry and exit points of the city during nights.
Interestingly, incapable to stop militants from destroying schools, Iftikhar still claimed that the schools would be reopened on March 1 despite militants’ threat. “We have requested donors to provide finances to re-build and reopen the ruined schools,” he added, declaring as he usually does, to take militants head-on.
It has also been learnt that after the refusal of 600-800 officials of the Elite Police force to perform duty in the militant-teemed valley, the military is also in trouble to provide security to schools. So the girls of the valley seem to be destined to face a bleak future.
Maulana Fazlullah-led militants had asked the administration of all schools to stop imparting female education by January 15, or else the buildings would be blown up. It led private schools management to announce closure of female classes in 400 schools. The government came under heavy flak for failing to check the militants in the valley, where more than 120 girls schools have been destroyed, and ensuring female education there. The private schools refused to trust the government and security forces against the militants, saying they could not risk the lives of students and would open institutes only after restoration of peace in toto or go-ahead after assurance from the powerful militants.
Commenting on their failure in the valley, a member of the NWFP cabinet said while requesting anonymity that they were serious in not only protecting schools but also restoring peace to the entire valley.
About accelerating the operation, he said the government was satisfied with the operation in the valley and had passed a resolution to ask the army make the operation effective. “Democratic governments convey acts in this manner but here resolutions by legislatures mean nothing, unfortunately.”
He said ANP had been rendering sacrifices for the sake of peace but it could quit government if conspiracies hatched to fail the ANP efforts for peace. “Power is not indispensable for us,” he made it clear.
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