Is Sharia an Answer for Shattered Swat? Maybe Yes..

Smart nations learn from their history and avoid repeating the same errors made by them in past. That's how ordinary nations emerge as strong ones. That's where we have an opportunity to progress. However, in case of Pakistan, The people barely have respect towards "country's ideology" so leave alone the realization of any mistakes. We live in a country that was demanded on the basis of ISLAM, but unfortunately, few people still have a doubt whether Mr. Jinnah fought for an Islamic state or for a secular one. That's exactly where our unity ends, the problems pertaining to our identity are born and our future is horribly jeopardized.
All this happens, because we deny our land its due honor.
Today, one of the burning issues -destroying our land- is the status of SWAT, formerly known as the Switzerland of Pakistan, the valley of peace and a spectacular tourist spot. Since the invasion of chaos in that beautiful city, there have been devastating episodes of violence disturbing the lives of its citizens. (Citizens: who are tired of being crushed between the fights of military and militants in SWAT.) However, to finish off this disaster a solution has been found: NWFP government entering into a peace agreement with the Taliban through Sufi Muhammad's Tehrik Nifaz-i-Shariat Muhammadi (TNSM).
NATO and US has already shown their unease at this peace agreement describing it as an "advantage for the Talibans and a threat to other countries' security especially of US." Well, that's typical America: a very cunning shepherd who always tries to persuade the sheep that their interests and his own are the same. No wonder the observation has a merit that our military was fighting the war of America in the valley of SWAT. Indeed, America has always been the propagandist whose purpose is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human and we have always been fools to allow foreign forces operate inside our borders.
If the decision to introduce Sharia law in SWAT district is a sincere step by the government to undo the damage then we must pray that the calculations are properly done. Otherwise the SWAT may become the hub of injustice instead of righteousness. Seeing through the eyes of Swatis, people of northern areas are looking for peace in Islamic law when the laws of Pakistan and its smug leaders have brought them nothing but dismay. However, there are still serious doubts pertaining to the success of the Sharia in the city. Sharia can indeed be the answer not only to the problems of SWAT but to the whole state as well. IF ONLY the Islamic laws are adopted in true form. Otherwise they cannot be beneficial if each person goes on defining sharia according to his own needs. The narrow-minded class of SWAT would have to make adjustments in their rigid attitudes if they are to adopt sharia. To begin with:
v Sharia honors the females with the right of getting education
v Females have certain duties to perform, but they have economic, social, political and many more rights as well.
v Males have the authority over females but they have no right to deprive them of their rights. In short, Men and women are garments of each other. But tribal people may have a hard time accepting it.
The difficulty is, will Sufi Mohammad or the Taliban accept the true Sharia based on Quran and Sunnah or will they introduce a sharia of their own? Because the failure of a new system along with man's corruption may come to redefine Pakistan's identity completely and that wouldn't be pleasant at all, mark my words.
In a nutshell, No wonder we are a divided nation, suffering through a serious identity crisis, unable to forge an Islamic state. But if there's truly a prospect of peace in one part of the country, it just might be the key to happiness for all. The bottom line is, there's a dire need to recognize who we truly are! The idea and struggles of our forefathers were for an Islamic state and not this state of horror. If vision without action is a daydream then action without vision is a nightmare. If we haven't learnt from our former nightmares, we truly haven't learned anything at all. No constitution, no court, no law, no heavenly blessing can now save the honor of Pakistan if it has died in the hearts and minds of its people.