Seven Taliban militants including an important commander Rafi Ullah of Baitullah Mehsood group are arrested along with weapons and their two cars in Hangu on Wednesday during flag march of Hangu police, all the arrested militants are shifted to unknown place, in retaliation Taliban militants had seiged Doaba police station of Hangu district and have kidnapped four police men and one FC soldier, Doaba bazaar is closed now negotiations between Taliban militants and district administration of Hangu are underway, meanwhile paramilitary troops are deployed in the area to ameliorate the law and situation in Doaba.
Over the last few years Hangu district is in grip of sectarian violence and growing Taliban militants activities, Hangu is a small city surrounded by small villages, police training center is located in Hangu district in between the city a huge mountain alongside of Hangu Bazaar makes it safe from air attacks, Khans of Hangu mostly from Bangash tribe are famous for their riches, large residences and Hujras. Hangu district shares border with turbulent area of North Waziristan, Orakzai Agency and Kurram Agency.In between Kohat and Hangu on Kohat Hangu road Bangash tribesmen of both Shia and Sunni sects are inhabited in villages of Ustarzai, Muhammadzai, and Nasrat Khel.
In 1979 I attended the marriage of my high school classmate and friend Dr Faiz Bangash in Hangu he was getting married to his cousin in 19 years of age, soon after completion of his MBBS from Khyber Medical College of Peshawar University, during his marriage function first time in life I was introduced to Pukhtoon culture in Hangu, after Nikah the bride was brought to the groom’s residence, friends of groom and other guests were served with dinner, a dancer girl from Mardan was brought to entertain guests and friend with her dance, viewers were throwing currency notes over the dancer while she was dancing on the floor in a circle of viewers, the dancer was pretty and was fully clothed and was also singing songs in Pushto.
Hangu district has got numerous schools and a government college, General Bangash of Hangu district was appointed as governor of NWFP, top Engineers and bureaucrats in WAPDA are from Hangu district, streams and forests of Hangu are big attraction for hunters and visitors, near Jauzara stream of Hangu on top of the hill Jauzara rest house built by British rulers of subcontinent during summers is always filled with visitors, during my recent visit of Jauzara stream I had witnessed hash smoking tribesmen along with their weapons and daggers hanging around their wastes sitting at the side walls of natural springs of water in Jauzara, during our one hour stay at Jauzara stream we had enjoyed a swim in natural spring waters before lunch. No sectarian tension was visible among hash smoking tribesmen of Jauzara area around stream.
During past few years of sectarian violence large scale migration from Hangu towards Kohat is witnessed, many families from Hangu have migrated towards Kohat and are living in rented houses in posh area of KDA Kohat. Around 57 families have migrated from Parachinar to Kohat to escape sectarian violence. Road between Tull to Parachinar is closed for traffic from last eight months, due to spill over affects, violence in different forms is spread over in Hangu due to its common borders with sectarian violence hit Kurram agency and Taliban militants dominated North Waziristan area. According to a local journalist due to large scale unemployment and ignorance tribesmen are maintaining their private armies, they only provide food and weapon to their soldiers in return of their services and loyalties, in Bara area of Khyber Agency one tribal militant leader Mangal Bagh alone has got one hundred and fifty thousand armed men in his private Army known as Lashkar I Islam. Mangal Bagh had signed peace agreement with government on Wednesday and now Bara Bazaar is open for customers. Private Armies of tribal militants are a scattered force, in Waziristan Baitullah Mehsood and Maulvi Nazeer are two important rival militant groups leaders, in Khyber agency five rival groups of militants normally fight against each other in their quest for dominance, in Parachinar and Sada areas of Kurram agency violence erupts between Shia and Sunni sect militants, same is the case in Hangu.
In case all the these tribal groups under a traditional unanimous decision in council of elders form a united force for a common cause against Pakistan security forces and US lead NATO force in Afghanistan will come in a position to challenge both, currently they can only become headache for political administration of tribal agencies and can commit crimes like kidnap for ransom in settled areas of NWFP. But due to prevailing tribal and sectarian biases among the tribesmen chances of emergence of any unified force are grim.
Submitted by
Abdur Raziq
Blog: raziq1.blogspot.com