We must act, Swat is almost gone By Kamran Shafi

It is time that you and I took matters into our own hands for the sake of this country in which we live, for if Swat goes so does Pakistan, slowly but steadily down the tube.

Perhaps, a relief caravan of several hundred vehicles — cars and buses and trucks — could carry thousands of us to Swat, and along the length and breadth of it, defying the handful of murderous thugs who hold that part of our country in their deathly grip and before whom even the great Pakistan Army seems to have given up the fight. And, in our travels, one could distribute food and clothing and other items so badly needed by the poor.

Let our political leaders lead the caravan, protected by us the ordinary people of Pakistan. Let President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Mr Nawaz Sharif travel in one vehicle; Qazi Hussain Ahmed (who has, credit to him, severely criticised the hooligans for destroying girls’ schools in Swat) and Imran Khan and Dr Farooq Sattar in one; and Asfandyar Wali and Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Chaudhry Pervez Elahi in another, and so on.

Let us just march into Swat, unarmed, and say to the barbarians: “Do your worst, you despicable Yahoos who slice off old men’s ears; who murder defenceless women and children! We the common people of Pakistan will simply not let you take over our country by force of arms!!”