Pakistani flags removed from Taliban-held areas in Swat

(Editor's Note: As his colleague and Canada Free Press columnist, the Polish-based journalist David Dastych, Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir is alive and "kicking", reporting from Swat Valley, which is a territory under Taliban control). GOOD NEWS! Hamid Mir is alive and "kicking", reporting from Swat Valley (see below), which is a territory under Taliban control.) MATTA-Swat-The imposition of emergency in Pakistan has not put any pressure on the Taliban in Swat district, who have not only announced the imposition of Shariah but also removed national flags from all the government buildings in the areas under their control.

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The Taliban have taken over the police stations in Tehsil Matta, Khawazkhela and Charbagh. This scribe visited the Matta police station after the imposition of emergency rule in Pakistan. The Taliban there have replaced Pakistan's flag with their own at the Police Station following surrender of more than 120 soldiers of the security forces two days ago. Taliban commanders controlling Matta police station are not worried about the emergency. Immediately after President Musharraf's speech, the Pakistan Army swapped 25 Taliban fighters for 211 kidnapped soldiers in South Waziristan. There is a feeling of achievement among the local militants over the banning of private TV channels all over the country as they think Musharraf had accepted their point of view in this matter. Many shopkeepers in the main market of Matta condemned both the Taliban and the new NWFP government. They said that the government is creating problems by bombing the civilians while Taliban are inflexible; both are responsible for our miseries. Taliban leader Maulvi Fazalullah is moving around half of the Swat area like a ruler with full protocol. He has appointed his own "governors" in Tehsil Kabal, Matta and Khawazkhela. He has also ordered the setting up of Islamic courts for providing justice in areas under his control. He has opened a complaints register in his headquarters in Iman Dherai; the area has been bombed many times in the last couple of weeks by the Army. Local Taliban claim they are not responsible for slaughtering people. They claim the local population took revenge on them because gunship helicopters killed a large number of innocent people which was "regrettable". As tension between security forces and local Taliban is increasing day by day, more than 50,000 people have fled the Taliban-controlled areas. Many areas of this tourist paradise look like ghost towns. More than 500 hotels and restaurants have closed down in the last two months. Schools are closed in all the Taliban-controlled areas. Security forces have converted many restaurants and shopping plazas into trenches. I went past more than 20 Taliban check-posts from Koza Bandi to Matta. The Saidu Sharif airport is closed, though it is still under Government control but Taliban have surrounded it on two sides. Mingora city is still controlled by the Government, but nobody is ready to speak against Maulvi Fazalullah even in those areas which are the under the control of government. Many people told us privately that the 32-year Maulvi Fazalullah is not a Mufti, and cannot issue fatwas. Many well-respected Islamic scholars of the areas don't like him but they are not ready to speak against him because he is popular among local people. Recently, he got a donation of more than 4 kilogram of gold from the women of one village in Kabal because he arrested and punished three people, who had kidnapped a local woman. People under his areas are safe from dacoits and thieves--but they are not safe from gunship helicopters. Many locals have requested Maulvi Fazalullah to start negotiations with the government for peace in the area. Official sources in Mingora claimed that more Army troops are coming to Swat and a new operation will be launched soon against the Al Qaeda-sponsored Taliban. The Taliban commanders of Swat, Bajour, North Wazirastan and South Waziristan have decided to adopt a well-coordinated new strategy. They will open new fronts to counter the new operation.