Retrogression in Swat

By: Bazir Khan

Everything seemed fine with the 5337 square kilometers area of Swat valley and its 1.694701million people despite upheavals in the rest of the Pashto speaking areas of the North West Frontier province of Pakistan, till the early nineties. Culturally, the people of Swat valley had been more accommodative, more generous and more open to the process of change. The reason of the difference from the rest of the tribal areas is that it got ruled by a benign and forward looking monarchy for most of the twentieth century. During that period (1917—1969) beside the development of the other infrastructure, the then Swat State got more attention in the much needed field of education. The beautifully built and properly staffed institutions catered to the need of the neighboring areas, too. Against the cultural history of keeping women folk away from development, the State encouraged female literacy, the first step on the way to progress, by establishing girl’s schools and colleges. The valley had the highest women literacy rate as compared to the neighboring districts. Till early nineties, no body among the common folks or the clergy had ever raised any objection to women education in the valley.

Swat has a rich past of Learnings. During Buddhist period there were fourteen hundred monasteries on both side of river Swat. Students from as far away as China came to Swat for learning. Buddhism penetrated China and Tibet from this valley. The rulers of Swat revived that old tradition of learning by establishing Schools and colleges in the whole of valley Swat.

After the merger of the State with Pakistan more schools and colleges for girls were opened in public sector. Private sector also established some good educational institutions for girls in the urban areas of Swat. Students from the neighboring districts continued coming to Swat for readings. There are 10 high schools, 4 higher secondary schools and 4 degree colleges where education is imparted to females only, beside the post graduate college where male and female are supposed read together at masters level.

After the fall of Taliban in Afghanistan, their activities started getting support in the Pashton areas of Pakistan along the border. Swat is one of the victims of Talibanization. The secular nature of the Swati society slowly changed into the extremist one. Two enlightened personalities, Dr.Abdul Wahab and Fazal Wahab, a writer, were killed in Swat. Some of the moderates were threatened of the same fate and they either succumbed to the pressure or left the country for good.

The clergy spoke against the female education through the unauthorised FM radios and in public gatherings in the first phase and later on they stopped female from seeking education and going out for shopping in the market through using force, bomb blasts and ambushes. Many female teachers were killed in Mohmand and Bajawar areas. A higher secondary school for girls at Kabal, Swat was blown up with a bomb blast. That was the last nail in the coffin.

The government of the time (the MMA government) remained a silent spectator or to be exact gave a tacit approval of this phenomenon of holding the community to ransom. Parents are reluctant to send there daughters to schools. Female educational institutions both in public and private sectors are closed for the last two months.

The offices of non governmental organizations are closed after a deadly bomb blast. A vehicle of Save the Children was blown up which caused the death of six persons.

Environmental protection society is a leading NGO in the valley is working in the area since 1991.The society with collaboration of Government of NWFP is running its projects for female empowerment through education, skills and income generating activities. Society is also working for women councilors in the devolution of power process. Society gives them political education and encourages them to take part in the elections at all levels. To achieve these goals Society has established two Social Organization Units, one in upper Swat at Madyen and the other one at Saidu Sharif. Society also runs its projects on Female Health, Gender awareness and health hygiene in Shangla.

The SOU upper Swat got stormed by the militants who carried away, vehicles, computer equipments and survey machines. All the activities for women development were stopped. The lives of the high up of the Society are in severe danger.

Government Jahanzeb post graduate college is the only institution in the valley which provides post graduate studies in various disciplines. Admission to Post graduate classes of the female students were started in late 1990s.The number of students increased from year to year till 2007. The retrogressive forces has been working against it i.e. to stop the phenomenon of women higher education by threatening those who worked hard for encouraging and supporting the administration and the parents to make the program a success. The fear and the tactics were so hard that they were compelled toe their line or left the country for good. Talibanization has caused disappointment for many when the college administration succumbed to the threats of militants to stop female education in the college. Director Academics Professor Fazal Subhan Afghani, who is a religious scholar and a respected elder, announced with broken heart that female candidates should not apply for admission this year, 2007. Professor Afghani has time and again brought the issue to the District administration but that was a cry in the wilderness.

This is, indeed, a disheartening scenario because the dawn of the 21th century did not herald any hope of marching forward to leave behind the afflictions of poverty, ignorance and lawlessness. The scaring forces, on the other hand, got the upper hand to push us further into the dark. The retrogression in everything is virtually in effect.