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Tensions high as govt prepares for crackdown in Swat district

MINGORA: The arrival of a large paramilitary force and police for a reported crackdown on the outlawed Tehrik Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi (TNSM) raised citizens’ concerns in Swat district on Monday, officials and witnesses said. Hundreds of police and paramilitary force jawans occupied school buildings, as the authorities negotiated with the organisers of a TNSM rally on May 20 to postpone it. Law enforcement agencies rounded up dozens of TNSM workers from Swat and Dir districts on Monday following NWFP CM Durrani’s ordered crackdown. “The situation is normal and a jirga will be used to sort out the issue,” Swat District Nazim Jamal Nasir told Daily Times. Sources said that police and FC jawans had taken up positions on hilltops in Kabal tehsil and also at Saidu Sharif airport. “The security forces are strengthening their positions for a possible crackdown if talks do not yield any breakthrough,” sources said. Police used tear-gas, batons and fired shots in the air to disperse TNSM supporters in Kabal on Monday, eyewitnesses said. The authorities are preparing for real trouble on May 20 when the TNSM plans to stage a rally against the government to demand the release of its founder, Sufi Muhammad, who was jailed in 2002. staff report

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