Pakistanis Return to Swat-But the Police Don't

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REPORTING FROM KABUL

Since July 13th the Pakistani government has been moving displaced families back to the Swat valley region, in the northwest of the country, following the military operation to rid it of Taliban fighters. The number of displaced is a staggering 2.5-3 million people. To put this in perspective, it is approximately the same number of Afghan refugees during the ten years of war with the Soviets in the 1980’s.  The difference is the millions of displaced from Swat occurred over the course of only four weeks.  Once the Pakistani government become serious in responding to the Taliban threat, areas began to be cleared but not necessarily held by authorities but this did not prevent the forced return of thousands of families to an uncertain future.  The Pakistani Army is still in the Swat valley but they are not a permanent presence or a permanent solution to the lack of security. This job falls to a robust police force that is slated to operate as a US community policing model which has been employed by the West for years. This model sets the stage of policing for the people rather than policing for the state. This concept places the police in the heart of the community and becomes a resource rather than a tool of state retribution thereby making it a first resource rather than a last resort. Unfortunately, this plan remains still just a plan as the population begins to return to Swat valley minus the police. The few police that have returned have either fortified their own positions to the point of isolation from the population or have faced increased violence directed by local Taliban forces.  Just this week a senior police officer  in Mingora (capital of Swat) was found beheaded, no doubt by the Taliban.   It is clear that Islamabad wanted the population to reclaim their land as soon as possible but it is missing an integrated security plan to include an outer security ring made up of the army with the police as an integrated inner ring inside the communities. This glaring mistake by the authorities has only made a target rich environment for the Taliban rather than a viable return plan for the displaced.  The security mantra of “clear/hold/build” is centered on hold and hold is centered on a strong and democratic police force ready to defend the population something that is still missing today in Swat.