Tourism to terrorism: mapping the wounded landscape of the Swat valley in Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47264/idea.lassij/8.2.2Keywords:
Insurgency, Militancy, Instability, Post-conflicted communities, Pashtuns, Military operations, Security challenges, Power dynamicsAbstract
Swat valley is an administrative district of Pakistan where Pashtuns live. Their ethnic and cultural heritage and Islamic values are mixed with the Pashtunwali, a traditional Pashtun code of conduct. The strong warrior history of Pashtuns made them vulnerable, and especially foreign terrorists tried to use this land for their interests. The Taliban insurgency in Swat started in 2007, due to which every sector of life was affected. Hence, Pakistan’s government, Pakistan's military, and different national and international NGOs put their utmost efforts until now to re-establish the lost peace at the hands of the Taliban in the beautiful valley of Swat. The central argument of this article is shaped by the study of the Pashtun’s heritage, culture, demographic history, the Taliban’s insurgency, the major destructions and the reconstruction by the government of Pakistan, and the revival of tourist sustainability in Swat. The research methodology is characterised by mixed-method research, making it a descriptive, exploratory, and observational study. However, the paper's significance is contributed by analysing the role of influential factors in the rise of militancy and providing recommendations for the future security of the Swat region.
References
Avis. W. (2016). Drivers of conflict in the Swat valley. GSDRC. https://www.gsdrc.org
Elahi, N. (2015). Militancy conflicts and displacement in Swat valley of Pakistan: analysis of transformation of social and cultural network. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 5(3), 228-230. http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2576231
Elahi, N., Khalid, A., & Khan, U. S. (2020). Old wine in a new bottle: governance, fragility and armed conflict trio in Swat valley, Pakistan. Politics & International Relations, 6(1), 2-4. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2020.1770432 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2020.1770432
Fleischner, J. (2011). Governance and militancy in Pakistan’s Swat valley. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). 4-8. https://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fspublic/legacy_files/files/publication/111014_Fleischner_SwatValley_0.pdf
Hyat, K. (2009). Timeline on Swat valley turbulence. The New Humanitarian. https://thenewhumanitarian.org
Hayes, A. (2024). Conflict theory definition, founder, and examples. Behavioural Economics. https://www.investopedia.com
Javed, M. Ali, H. & Rahim, N. (2019). Analysis of social impacts of terrorism and military operations in Pakistan in Swat. Pakistan Languages and Humanities Review, 3(1), 13-16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.47205/plhr.2019(3-II)2.2
Jadoon, A. & Sayed, A. (2022). Understanding Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan’s unrelenting posture. Nexus Article. www.https://extremism.gwu.edu/nexus-republishing-guidelines
Khan. U. A, (2005). The terrorist threat and the policy response in Pakistan. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Report.
Khan, I. N, & Ali, A. L. (2010). The rise of Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi in Malakand division, NWFP: a case study of the process of state inversion. Pakistan Vision, 11(1), 93-95.
Khan, A. M. & Khan, F. M. (2021). Causes and impacts of terrorism in Swat valley (2007-2017). Pakistan Journal of International Affairs, 4(1). 769-773. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52337/pjia.v4i1.218
Khan, T. (2024). Why and how is TTP resurfacing in Swat? Dawn. https://www.dawn.com
Luras, H., & Aziz, K. (2010). Swat: main causes of the rise of militancy. Norwegian Institute for International Affairs (NUPI). https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/resrep07949.pdf
Nawaz, S. (2016). Countering militancy and terrorism in Pakistan: the civil-military nexus 393. United States Institute of Peace. www.usip.org
Nawaz, S. (2023). The unfinished efforts against terrorism and militancy in Pakistan. South Asia Source. https://atlanticcouncil.org
Orgeret, K. S. & Tayeebwa, W. (2016). Journalism in conflict and post-conflict conditions: worldwide perspective. Nordicom. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:935872/FULLTEXT01.pdf
Prayogi, A. (2023). Social change in conflict theory: a descriptive analysis. ARRUS Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 3(1), 38-40. https://journal.arrus.id/index.php/soshum/article/view/1652 DOI: https://doi.org/10.35877/soshum1652
Rana, A. M & Rohan. (2007). Al-Qaeda fights back inside Pakistani. Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), 24-27.
Rome, S. I. (2009). Swat: a critical analysis. Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, 5-30.
Rahman, M. (2023). Butler’s tourism area life cycle model (TALC). Tourism Industry. https://www.howandwhat.net
Singh, S. (2011). The tourism area “life cycle”: a clarification. Annals of Tourism Research, 38(3), 1-4. https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/full/10.5555/20113258469 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2011.03.005
Shah, A. (2018). Talibanization and military operation Rah-e-Rast; the final knockback in Swat. Pakistan Journal of Society, Education and Language, 4(2), 142-143.
Sajid, I. (2019). Pakistan’s Swat valley: from terrorism to tourism. Asia Pacific. https://www.aa.com.tr
Ullah, A., Khan, A. & Khan, U. I. (2022). Causes and factors responsible for operation Zarb-e-Azb: perspective of internally displaced persons of North Waziristan, Pakistan. Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal (LAASIJ), 6(1), 182-185. https://doi.org/10.47264/idea.lassij/6.1.12 DOI: https://doi.org/10.47264/idea.lassij/6.1.12
Wazir, A., Shaoor, A., Shiekh, N. A. & Ali, S. (2013). History of Swat till the rise of Taliban and the role of FM radio. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Science, 3(8), 2225-2231. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v3-i8/109 DOI: https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v3-i8/109
Zafar, R. (2011). Development and the battle for Swat. Al Nakhlah The Fletcher School Online Journal. 5-7. https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu
Zahid, Ali. (2022). The Pakistani Taliban's re-emergence in Swat: reasons and potential responses. Terrorism Monitor, 20(21), 131-135. https://jamestown.org/program/the-pakistani-talibans-re-emergence-in-swat-reasons-and-potential-responses/
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Anfal Afridi , Javeria Noor Sawal, Sara Shah Jehan , Muhammad Bacha
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Please click here for details about the LASSIJ's Licensing and Copyright policies.