Sense of insecurity spreads scare across NWFP

[Naveed Yaseen]

Javed Aziz Khan
PESHAWAR: The law and order situation in Frontier and adjoining Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), coupled with unprecedented price-hike and agonising power breakdowns, has forced the common people to ponder over certain unpleasant options to live a happy and secure life in the future.

People are drawing their money from the banks in utmost uncertainty, as they fear the country’s economy is going to collapse due to the recent financial crises.

Though the government authorities are trying to convince them not to do so, the investors are withdrawing their capital.

The elite of the province and tribal areas are planning to settle abroad till the situation in the country returns to normal. Others are thinking over the option to at least move to Punjab and other safer parts of the country.

“I am concerned about the money deposited in banks, but cannot keep it at home as well in the wake of the poor law and order situation,” Riaz Khan, a businessman in Namak Mandi, said. He added he had contacted his friends in Dubai and other countries to shift his family.

There is a great disappointment spreading over every face as no visible hope is there to bring improvement to the current situation in the near future.

Business community, government servants particularly law-enforcers, industrialists, private employees and each and every member of the society is concerned over what has been going on in Frontier and Fata.

The public is confused as to who is behind the worst ever crisis the country is faced with. There are allegations that spy agencies of different countries are playing havoc with the peace of the country for their vested interests. But people question what the government is doing to counter these conspiracies.

At least 40 of the 116 suicide blasts has ripped through different cities of Frontier while as many attacks were carried out in tribal areas. Almost all the tribal agencies and at least 10 districts of the NWFP, Swat, Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Hangu, Charsadda, Mardan, Malakand and rural parts of Peshawar have been witnessing worst law and order situation since the spill over of so-called militants.

People are worried about their security in the wake of unabated suicide attacks and spill over of militancy to the urban areas. The increasing ratio of incidents of kidnapping for ransom and robberies have further spread scare in the society. For the first time in our history, the people who had nothing to do with the weapons are being seen carrying arms for their own security after manifold increase in the kidnapping incidents.

Those who have been picked up for ransom during the past many months include bureaucrats and their family members, politicians and their kins, journalists and religious leaders.

The most embarrassing of the kidnapping incidents were the picking up of Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Tariq Azizuddin and Kabul’s envoy to Islamabad, Abdul Khaliq Farahi. Also, there are a few other kidnapping incidents, including of foreigners and some local women, which earned a bad name for the Pakhtun society.

On the other hand, the price of a 20-kilogram flour bag has crossed Rs850. The bag was being sold against Rs280 only six months back. The government has failed to bring down the flour prices despite taking a number of measures. “You publish it in your paper that I am ready to sell my organs against money to feed my family. I am a poor labourer and now it has become impossible to arrange only even flour for the whole month,” Dilawar Shinwari told this scribe. Dilawar, who earns Rs 4,000 to 5,000 a month, is father of five kids and the family uses three bags of a 20-kg flour every month that costs Rs2,500 now.

The 12-hour breakdown in 24 hours also remains to be the last nail in the coffin of hopes of a common man about any improvement in the current disappointing situation.

Many question the role of the government in the current situation. “Where is the government? I can’t see it anywhere?” Ali Sultan, a final year student of the University of Peshawar, asked.

He was critical of the federal and provincial governments and law-enforcement agencies, saying they have no right to rule the country if they could not deliver to improve the situation.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=140876