The operation against militants in Khyber Agency’s Bara tehsil is “nothing more than hype”, a foreign journalist said while standing on the debris of the razed house of Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) chief Mangal Bagh on Sunday. | Really? Wotta surprise. |
“This is a mere eye wash,” said Muhammad Zaman, a resident of the Sarband area. He said security forces were only razing houses and buildings already vacated by militants “to calm the people of Peshawar and other adjacent areas who wanted a strict action against vigilantes”.
“Why there is no arrest or an encounter despite the lapse of two days? Is the operation being conducted to raze houses or to arrest those challenging the government’s writ?” another Peshtakhara resident said anonymously, fearing persecution from the militants.
However, Bara residents criticised the government for launching the operation, and said Bagh and his men had established “exemplary peace by purging the area of kidnappers, criminals and thieves”. Bara Traders’ Union President Said Ayaz said LI activists had banned the display of weapons in the Bara bazaar. He said there was no justification for the imposition of a curfew in the bazaar when the operation was being done more than 10 kilometres away. “We do not know what the government wants to do by disturbing peace here,” Ayaz said, fearing that habitual criminals would once again gather in Bara after the expulsion of Mangal Bagh.
Sikh community representatives Gormeet Singh and Dewa Singh said they were satisfied with the security provided by the LI. Gormeet, who runs a cosmetics shop in Bara bazaar and hails from the Tirah Valley, said over 3,000 Sikh families were living in the area but none of them was threatened by the vigilantes. Dewa, the owner of homemade-medicines shop, said, “We want Mangal back in the area because he had restored peace here.”
Residents of the Shekhabad area, where Mangal’s house was situated, said people had offered their assistance to re-construct the razed house of “ameer sahib”. Shops were open in Bara bazaar despite the curfew while cloth smugglers were seen bundling cloths on motorcycles and rushing towards Peshawar city. Paramilitary forces were patrolling the area but there was no sign of tanks, armoured vehicles or helicopters.