The gory spectacle of beheading has returned to Fata. In Tirah valley on Friday, militants beheaded a man in the marketplace and ordered that the body be kept there on display until the evening.

The brutal act, the first of its kind in Tirah, was justified by citing charges of spying. The execution-style killing came at a time when the militants, united by a common cause and divided in groups over the details, are under severe pressure from the security forces.

Read: Militants publicly behead man in Tirah

On the day of the beheading, there was news about a group in the ranks of the militants having surrendered to the security forces.

Also, the capture of men working for or thought to be sympathetic to the militants is routine. An even bigger threat to the militants is posed by military jets which have been targeting their hideouts and taking out well-known militant commanders.

All this leaves the militants desperate for a strong counter-statement, and the killing of a man for spying provided them with a simple, blood-curdling option.

To their mind, this is a convenient way of boosting morale among their ranks and creating fear among the people, both aspects central to the conduct of their business.

It also helps them connect with similarly gruesome images flashed from the Middle East where an effort is on to introduce a new order and globalise the war in the name of religion.

Beheading, as analysts have pointed out, is used to bring out the international nature of the war.

It is an act introduced to Pakistan under the influence of foreign militants and it might not be a coincidence that this latest instance in Tirah has been accompanied by questions about the presence of the self-styled Islamic State in the country.

The incident, while it is seen to be a reaction to the success of the security forces, also brings out the grave dangers the people in the area are exposed to.

The security forces are said to be in control of areas close to where Friday’s killing took place whereas some parts of the Tirah valley are still controlled by the militants.

There has been large-scale displacement and there are calls for more people to leave their homes for safety. Just as the delays in getting out of the danger zone are inevitable, there are bound to be some people who cannot or do not want to leave their home, creating a situation that requires deft handling.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2014