Taliban militants have become so unwelcome that elders in Shangla are seeking their expulsion as their presence was threatening the peace of the area and could invite military action. Some of the elders from Chakesar in Shangla contacted The News to express concern over the intrusion of about 70 Taliban into their area and sought help in pushing them out.They said 60-70 militants had set up a roadside checkpoint in Chidam near the mountain peak of Chakesar four days ago. The village elders said the heavily-armed militants had come from the Yakh Tangi area where they had been operating. They pointed out that the Taliban checkpoint in Chidam was around five kilometres from the security forces’ check-post in Karora, also in the Shangla district. According to the elders, they had constituted a Jirga and met the Taliban militants to request them not to operate in their area. They said the Taliban were told that their presence would destroy the peace of the area and bring suffering to the people. “We told the Taliban that the local people would have to fight them if they intruded into the Chakesar area. We made it clear that the people of Chakesar don’t want security forces in their area and would have to deal with the militants on their own,” one of the elders said.According to sources in Shangla, the militants used to often come to the Kabulgram area in Puran to meet a local cleric, Waliullah. But they never had much presence or support in that area. Also, the militants who had occupied the emerald mine in Gujjar Killay in Shangla fled after a while when they realised it was risky staying there.Also, there wasn’t much of a Taliban presence in Shangla’s Alpurai and Bisham areas. In fact, politicians and social workers in Shangla claimed that most Taliban militants there had come from other districts. In their view, the number of the local Taliban was insignificant. It is pertinent to mention that the Taliban from Swat had overrun Alpurai, the headquarters of the Shangla district, in 2007 and occupied all the government buildings. The government officials and the police had fled at the time. Later, a military operation forced the militants to give up their control of Alpurai and other towns and escape to Swat.Presently, Shangla residents are facing problems in getting in and out of the district due to the closure of roads that link Shangla to Swat via Khwazakhela and to the Buner and Kohistan districts. The only route they can use is through Kala Dhaka to reach Thakot in the Battagram district after crossing the River Indus in boats. The closure of roads leading out of Shangla has led to food and other shortages, causing a rise in prices. And now the fear of the Taliban’s presence and a likely military action against them has compounded the worries of the people. Now gahtering and made head quarter in Kala Dakha in Manshera District.
