Why Swat locals are angry with both military and the Taliban

Islamist militants targeted a school van in Swat's Charbagh tehsil earlier this week, killing the driver and injuring two students. The incident sparked protests in the area, one of which lasted for over 40 hours.

Locals blamed the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for the attack, but the militant group, which has close ties to the Afghan Taliban, has denied responsibility.

Last month, suspected militants fired on a police party in the valley, fueling speculation that the TTP, which aims to set up an Islamist state in Pakistan, is regaining strength in the area.

Swat Valley was once ruled by the Pakistani Taliban, who imposed a ban on education for women among other retrogressive measures.

Security analysts say the TTP feels emboldened by the Afghan Taliban's return to power in Kabul last year, thus raising its head once again in areas bordering Afghanistan.

Controversial negotiations with militants

Pashtun nationalists and other political parties in the area blame Islamabad's "peace negotiations" with the TTP for their "comeback."

Islamabad negotiators have held several rounds of talks with the TTP in Afghanistan, but so far they haven't yielded results. The aim of these talks is to force the TTP to lay down arms and cease attacks on the security forces.

The army media wing last month admitted that the presence of "a small number of armed men on a few mountain tops between Swat and Dir has been observed." However, it strongly rejected claims that the TTP has resurfaced in the area.

"Apparently, these individuals sneaked in from Afghanistan to resettle in their native areas. A close watch is being maintained on their limited presence and movement in mountains," the army said in a statement.

"A misperception about the alleged presence of a large number of proscribed organization TTP's armed members in Swat Valley has been created on social media. After confirmation on the ground, these reports have been found to be grossly exaggerated and misleading," the statement added.

Massive anti-government protests

Many in Swat, however, are not ready to buy these claims and have held huge rallies against both the TTP and the military in the past few days.

At the core of the anti-militant and anti-army protests in the region is the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), an anti-war group.

The PTM has gained considerable strength in the past few years, drawing tens of thousands of people to its protest rallies. Its supporters are critical of both the Taliban and the Pakistani military, which they say have ravaged Pashtun areas in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. 

The PTM maintains that Pakistani authorities backed Islamist militants in the area to destabilize the former elected governments in Afghanistan, a claim Islamabad denies.

Marwat Salam, a 26-year-old resident of the Swat's Matta area, said that people are furious over the government's inaction. People feel that the government is either supporting the Taliban or are afraid of them, which perhaps explains why the government has not taken any concrete action against them, Salam told DW.

Bibi Hasina, a 45-year old nurse working at a local hospital, said that the recent school van attack sent a shiver down people's spines, reminding everyone of the turbulent days of the past.

"The people of Swat are protesting against it, because they are worried about their children, their families, their businesses and their safety," Hasina said.

No decisive action against the militants

Swat Valley is better known for being the hometown of Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was 15 years old when the TTP shot and wounded her a decade ago.

At the time, Malala had been campaigning for girls' right to education in Swat and was a vocal critic of Islamist extremists. The Taliban said in 2012 that she had been attacked for promoting "secularism" in the area.

Swat was a stronghold for the TTP until the Pakistani military launched an operation against the group in 2009. However, the group could not be completely defeated and many of its fighters and leaders went into hiding in the lawless border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The group's sporadic attacks continued even after the 2009 military operation. In 2014, TTP militants attacked a military-run school in Peshawar, killing 132 schoolchildren.

The 2009 anti-militant offensive forced over a million people to leave their homes and take refuge in various parts of the country. They were only allowed to return when the operation ended a few months later.

Idris Ali Shah, who lives in Swat, said that locals were furious with the government because they had been given contradictory information about the success of the 2009 military operation. Firstly, they were assured that the militants had been eliminated during the offensive, he told DW, but then people witnessed a wave of targeted killings of political workers and peace activists in the following years.

"We were told these were ruthless terrorists and now the same are being engaged in talks without even taking the people into confidence," Shah said. "Then the [new] reports of extortion, threats and militants' presence were all ignored. So, the disappointment with the government is natural."

TTP comeback a 'propaganda' 

The government claims that Pashtun nationalists are trying to exploit some "isolated" attacks to defame the army.

Aziz Ullah Khan, a provincial lawmaker from Swat, told DW that it was propaganda that the army or security forces were bringing back the Taliban.

"The army offered tremendous sacrifices to flush out militants from Swat and other parts of the country. If Swat has peace today, it is all because of these sacrifices," he said, adding that some elements are spreading malicious propaganda against the army which should be condemned.

Khan rejected that people of Swat are fed up with the government.

"I am from the provincial government and roaming about the entire valley. I did not witness any anger against the government and security forces," Khan said.

He also refuted claims that militants are present in the scenic valley.

Swat resident Marwat Salam, however, fears the return of Islamist militancy in the area.

"The government's lackluster response has created anxiety, particularly among women," she told DW, adding that she feared her sisters and cousins might not continue their education if the Taliban return to her hometown.

"People had to leave their homes in the past and were not helped by the government. Now the government is turning a blind eye to the activity of militants, which is fueling frustration against the government," Salam added.

Edited by: Keith Walker and Shamil Shams