SWABI, Jan 8: The increased incidents of terrorism in Swabi, considered a peaceful district in the past, gave tough time to the law enforcement agencies and local authorities during the year 2011. “Sharing border with Buner, Nowshera, Mardan and Haripur districts no one can ignore the importance of Swabi,” observers said, adding disturbance of the district would have worst impacts on overall security situation of the country, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
They said that seizure of 12 improvise explosive devices in Shahmansoor region made it clear that the district was facing a grave danger.
There are a number of seminaries in the region but their teachers and students have vowed, during their numerous meetings with officials of the district administration, to help keep the district peaceful.
It has been learnt that law enforcement agencies have been monitoring seminaries for the last few years and kept complete record of religious students.
The first suicide attack in the district was occurred on November 1, 2010 when Swabi Police Lines was targeted by two bombers, one of them blew himself at the gate after killing two policemen while the other was chased and killed by law enforcers.
However, in 2011, two suicide bombers blew themselves up. The first attacker targeted the caravan of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on March 31. Ten people, including eight JUI-F workers and two policemen, were killed in the attack.
The second suicide bomber killed former senior vice-president of Awami National Party and former tehsil nazim Hanif Gul Jadoon along with his six-yea-old son, Ahmad Hanif and gunman on Eidul Azha.
Also, targeting the CD and DVD shops recorded a surge in the district. Most of such incidents occurred in Yar Hussain and Shewa Adda areas. In the district headquarter also CD shops were targeted in the busy Link Road Bazaar.
The educational institutions have also been blown up by militants. The latest target was a primary school for girls in Shewa that was blown up on Nov 14, 2011. The educational institutions at Marghuz, Khalil Kallay, Karnal Sher Khan Kallay and Tand Kohi were also blown up. Surprisingly, militants also targeted private schools in the district. However, the owner of a private school termed it a conspiracy.
Besides, an official of Intelligence Bureau, Arshad Ghayas, was shot dead by unidentified militants near his house in Sheikh Jana on October 1, 2011. Javed Khan, an officer of Special Branch, survived an attack when he was targeted by motorcyclists in front of his house in Chota Lahor village in broad daylight.
Moreover, militants targeted 500 KV main transmission line, supplying electricity from Tarbela Dam to Sheikh Mohammadi grid station in Peshawar, on a number of occasions.
The latest incident was occurred on Dec 26 when militants blew up the main gas supply line in Shahmansoor. Two more bombs were defused in Anbar area on the same day. The incident stopped gas supply to the entire district.
Officials said they were struggling to keep the district peaceful, however, they sought cooperation of people for the purpose.
