Swat was an independent state, which was merged into Pakistan through a martial law order in 1969. In the Constitution of 1973, Swat was declared a provincially administered tribal area, or PATA. But Swat is practically a settled district of NWFP. After the merger, the PATA Regulation was imposed in Swat. In 1974, the PATA Regulation was declared null and void by the Supreme Court and afterwards Swat remained lawless for several months.

It was during this period that Sufi Mohammad emerged and asked people to follow him for the enforcement of ‘Shariat laws’. The people, already fed up with the PATA Regulation, responded in one voice. The army was called out but the action was of no use, because the unity and power of the people was unimaginable.

The matter was settled through negotiations with Sufi Mohammad and the enforcement of a Shariah Regulation in 1994, which is still enforced, with amendments. Under the regulation, almost all the laws enforced in Pakistan are enforced in Swat, with the difference of nomenclature: a judge is called ‘qazi’ and court is a ‘Qazi Court’.

Sufi Mohammad has been in prison for some years. His son in law, Fazlullah, is now leading the Shariat movement in Swat. The army, which is badly demoralised after its failure in Waziristan, is now fighting in Swat. I believe direct negotiations with Fazlullah are the way out of this situation.