BY holding a big protest and sit-in by different segments of society in Swat against the attack on school van which killed a driver and injured a couple of students, the people of the area have proved that they stand for peace and abhor terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Other cities of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa also erupted with protests in support of the people of Swat raising slogans against terrorism.
In recent months, reports had emerged that the Taliban have again resurfaced and started disturbing the life of the locals in Swat.
Regardless of reports in the media, both the federal and the provincial governments did not show any seriousness to tackle the situation.
It was after a successful operation by the security forces back in 2009 that peace was restored in Swat and now this hard earned peace could not be allowed to evaporate under any circumstances.
The way the people of Swat in recent times have taken to the streets against the terrorists has made it abundantly clear that they will not tolerate terror acts as well as presence of terrorists in the valley.
This also demonstrates that they are no longer fearful of terror elements. In such an environment when the public is also standing up against the menace, there should not be any difficulty for our security forces to launch a full-fledged operation and clear the area of all anti-state elements.
The public support will help the security forces better track down the extremist elements who regrettably once again want to impose their will on others.
Those behind the recent terror acts in Swat including the one on school van need to be nabbed and given exemplary punishment at the earliest, besides the authorities concerned must sit with the local elders and notables to ensure that the terrorists and criminal elements do not get any space in the area and that they are eliminated once and for all.
Peaceful environment is important for the people of Swat to reap full benefits from the tourist potential of the area.
