Taliban broadcasts terror in Pakistan's Swat region

Peshawar, Jan.24 (ANI): The Taliban terror is spreading in the Swat Valley of Pakistan through the airwaves. Every evening, the Swat residents gather around their radios sets to update themselves with the new dectums issued by the Taliban as failure to follow might lead to beheading.

On most nights, a local Taliban leader Shah Doran announces over the radio the newly forbidden 'un-Islamic' activities in Swat, like selling DVDs, watching cable television, singing and dancing, criticizing the Taliban, shaving beards and allowing girls to attend school, the New York Times reports.

Names of the persons the Taliban has recently killed or planning to kill for violating their diktat are also aired. "They control everything through the radio. Everyone waits for the broadcast," said a Swat resident.

Unlike the Taliban-infested tribal regions, Swat is within the reach of Pakistan's three major cities, Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Despite President Zardari's pledge to fight Taliban in Swat, Pakistan's 15,000 troops against 2,000 to 4,000 Taliban fighters seem to be immobile in the region.

The Swat residents said that the soldiers largely stay inside their camps. The military also has never raided a small village, which is widely known as the Taliban's headquarters in Swat. Nor have the troops destroyed mobile radio transmitters.

The Pakistan army didn't even defend a local leader Pir Samiullah, who was killed for opposing the Taliban in Mandal Dag village. Such instances convinced many that the military must be conspiring with the Taliban.

"They dug him up and hung his body in the square," a villager recalled.

Recently, different Talibani announcements warned killing of a police officer and another dancing girl for violating Islamic laws.

Consequently, the residents were shocked to find the bullet-ridden body of the city's most famous dancing girls splayed on the main square.

A police officer, Naveed Khan said, "The local population is totally fed up, and if they had the chance they would lynch each and every Talib. But the Taliban are so cruel and violent, no one will oppose them. If this is not stopped, it will spill into other areas of Pakistan." (ANI)