Beyond terrorism

The war against terrorism in Pakistan, apart from doing other damages to the overall political, democratic, economic processes, is also doing a great harm to the livelihoods of indigenous people of Pakistan, who are already struggling against the government’s discriminatory policies. One such example is the recent military action against so-called terrorists in the scenic valley of Swat, NWFP (North Western Frontier Province). A silent but serious casualty of the war in Swat has now come to light. The timber mafia which has operated with impunity in the forested regions all over the country with the active connivance of forest department officials is now getting a boost from the ongoing hostilities in Swat. The extremist militants who are spreading their tentacles in this scenic valley in the north have joined hands with the smugglers to earn easy money from their illegal trade. Trees are cut to sustain smuggling, which is a thriving business in the province. In the process large areas in the NWFP - that had 1.33 million hectares of forests - have been denuded of trees. Although the commercial cutting of trees has been prohibited since 1999, the government has failed to recognize the import of trees for climate, ecology, agriculture, soil, and hence peoples’ livelihoods. It also failed to draw up rules to make the Forest Ordinance 2002 fully operational. Without the involvement of local communities in forest management, especially in the task of replanting the saplings, no regeneration of forest resource can take place. All this is simply not possible when there are militants all over the place. Centre for Indigenous Peoples of Indus (CIPI) DAMAAN Organization House 723, Street 74, G-10/4, Islamabad Tel: +92-51-2292284 damaan7@yahoo.com

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