Zardari honours politician who stood up to Swat militants

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari Tuesday conferred a coveted civil award on a senior politician who stood up against Taliban militants, the president's spokesman said.

Afzal Khan Lala, a veteran politician of the ruling Awami National Party who lives in the rural town of Druskhela in the troubled Swat valley, had refused to leave the area despite threats from militants.

Zardari 'in recognition of the great courage and steadfastness demonstrated by him in the war against militants in Swat region' has conferred Hilal-i-Shujaat (crescent of courage) on him, the spokesman said.

'When the victims of militants' brutalities were streaming out of Swat for safety, the 78-years-old Afzal Khan stood up against the militants and refused to abandon his ancestral home,' Babar said.

'The veteran Afzal Khan Lala stood like a rock against the militants and refused to heed the advice to migrate to a safer place. In standing up to the militants he became a tower of strength and encouragement to a besieged people.'

Babar said that Lala had miraculously survived several attempts on his life by militants who wanted to eliminate him to remove 'a symbol of defiance and courage.'

Lala and his nephew were seriously wounded in one attack. In another attack his two grandsons were killed and body guards seriously wounded last year.

'The conferment of Hilal-i-Shujaat on Afzal Khan also signifies determination of the president to honour symbols of courage in the fight against militants and to assure the victims that the state will not abdicate its duty to protect them,' Babar said.

More than 1.45 million people have been displaced across the region by the fighting since May 2, however, raising alarm among humanitarian agencies.

Authorities say more than 1,030 militants and at least 53 troops have been killed in a three-pronged onslaught launched in the districts of Lower Dir on April 26, Buner on April 28 and Swat on May 8.