Pakistan: Is Dera Ghazi Khan Next After Swat?

Dera Ghazi Khan was the focus of international media when The New York Times published the story “United Militants Threaten Pakistan’s Populous Heart” by Ms. Tavernise on April 13, 2009; predicting that Dera Ghazi Khan may become the hub of Jehadi activities in near future. The story caused uproar in the corridors of power and met with denial as usual.

Later daily Dawn followed the footsteps to delve out the truth from the debris of confusion in the story “South Punjab sees Taliban connection as stigma” by Nasir Jamal on May 24,2009. In the story the political activists of the South Punjab overwhelmingly refuted that Jehadis would find safe haven in the “Heart of Punjab”; the district of Dera Ghazi Khan. Unfortunately, it was the effort to sweep facts under the carpet.

The fact is that in the last decade a mushroom growth of madrassas was witnessed in the area. The writer knows the persons who were non-descript a couple of years back but have become the influential people of the city now. They all clambered the ladder of power by using their knack of luring the Arab Sheikhs to fund them to build madrassas in the area.

The easy prey of madrassas are poor people who are the majority, by offering free accommodation free three meals, clothes and free religious education. These madrassas are promoting the teachings of one particular sect as they are funded from Arab countries.

The population of Dera Ghazi Khan mostly depends upon agriculture and in recent years the rural population because of the poor policies of the government suffered the worst economic crisis. The graph of poverty went up and almost daily parents started selling their siblings on the streets.

The educational institutions, mostly run by public sector, are almost dysfunctional. The faculty of postgraduate college is busy in minting money by running academies; the parallel educational institutions, under the nose of the district and provincial administration. The previous government provided the facility of the Sub-campus of Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan to equip the students of this poor area with professional degree of Business Administration but it all gone to dogs as the university is run by inexperienced and incompetent faculty. A dismal scenario.

So, unemployed and illiterate youth is either succumbed to dacoits or is an easy prey of jehadis who at least feed them and provides them the purpose to live. Go north of Dera Ghazi Khan at the Indus Highway you will find concrete facades of Madrassas busy in “educating” the poor. Moreover, the mind-set of people also supports jahids since the people feel that jehadis have the remedies of their plight.

As the city is under the claws of feudal-cum-politicians it the most ignored city of the world and the indifference of the political elite has turned the entire city into a slum. Unfortunately, these politicians are not interested in the development of the area fearing that educated lot may challenge their stronghold of power but they are not aware of the fact that the thriving madrassas are grooming antagonism against their cozy nest of power.

Let us face the fact though gory that the important city of the south Punjab has all the potential to become safe haven for the jehadis.