SHAWAL, Pakistan - Maulana
Salahuddin is respected as a voice of moderation and
enlightenment in the valleys of Shawal in
Pakistan's North Waziristan
tribal area on the border with Afghanistan. He wears
several hats: those of a cleric, a Sufi, an educationist
(he is the most educated person in the valleys - a
master of arts, Arabic) - and a social worker.
The full-bearded Salahuddin also wears the
traditional Taliban-style turban, which, allied with his
clerical status, has made him fair game for the
authorities as, in their twisted logic, beard + Taliban
turban + cleric + residence in North Waziristan =
al-Qaeda. (Such simplistic characterization is
perhaps one reason key al-Qaeda members remain at large, but
that is another story.)
Anyway, Salahuddin was
rounded up by a Joint Interrogation Team comprising all
Pakistani intelligence agencies as part of Islamabad's
hunt (at the behest of the United States) for al-Qaeda
suspects taking refuge in the tribal areas.
Salahuddin was arrested in early
April, and spent several weeks in custody. He was
charged with harboring al-Qaeda and Taliban fugitives,
plus having links with the killers of a Pakistani army major
who was shot in Shawal during the recent insurgency
in South Waziristan. He is the only person from Shawal
to have been arrested to date, although the government
has given a list with the names of 14 people -
Salahuddin's is not on it - who are believed to have
ties with al-Qaeda and the Taliban, to the tribal chief,
Zarma Jan. The government has asked the chief either to
hand over these suspects to the government or produce
himself.
Asia Times
Online was given the opportunity to meet with
Salahuddin at his seminary in Mana (Apple) Valley
in the Pakistani Shawal (there is an area also known as
Shawal across the border
in
Afghanistan - it is much more rugged and inhospitable
than the Pakistani one).
Commenting on
his arrest, Salahuddin said: "I have good relations with
all segments of society, including the [Pakistani
Army] brigade commander and the [Federally Administered
Tribal Area - FATA] political agent. Since I am the most
known student of Islamic learning, somebody [referring to
the US and its proxy network] thought that I would be
the right catch. Therefore, one day I was summoned to
the political agent's office. I was told by different
tribal elders not to go, as I would be arrested. I also
had the same feeling, but since I am a man of a clear
conscience, I went there and they arrested me.
"During the interrogation I answered all
questions, and then put a question to them: 'What was
the need to arrest me?' The entire state machinery from
Bannu to Miranshah [in the FATA] knows me personally.
Even the former corps commander of Peshawar, Ali Jan
Orakzai, knew me as he inaugurated a school in my area.
So much so that as I did not have the teachers for
subjects like English and mathematics, I spoke to the
brigade commander, and he gave me two army men who came
and taught the students in the school. The school is
with my seminary and home; therefore, they know all my
activities."
Maulana Salahuddin took a pause for
tea, and then smiled. "I think to be a cleric is the
only qualification which makes you a suspect in this
area."
This was
our initial conversation, after which this
correspondent remained with Salahuddin during his entire
tour of Shawal, which, where possible, was made in
a double-cabin vehicle (crew-cab truck).
Scenes from
Shawal The name Shawal sends shivers down
the spines of the urban Pashtun residents of Peshawar
and Kohat as it is widely perceived
as being extremely
remote, and beyond the general writ of law that governs
other Pakistanis.
Most of Shawal's decent people
are engaged in farming. Unfortunately, their numbers are
dwindling as many locals have sold their land to
contractors, who have been quick to cut down trees and
sell the wood in urban centers. One estimate suggests
that by next year, Shawal will be completely devoid of
vegetation on its mountains. Sadly, the uneducated
people of the region believe that the trees and plants
will simply grow again, and deforestation is not an
issue, despite the efforts of Salahuddin to convince
them otherwise.
Many of those people who are
not farmers have found quick money to be made in
activities like kidnapping for ransom, carjacking and heroin
trafficking, so much so that these businesses are the
trademark of the Datakhail area of Shawal. To the
authorities, the area is like a big black hole where
things simply disappear without a trace. Children are
also kidnapped, both male and female, and they are used
for labor as well as sex. Recently, a new business has
emerged - kidnapping government officials for ransom.
The residents are not without humor, though.
At one point, when our vehicle stopped for
refreshments, people, noticing Salahuddin, joked that we were ripe
for kidnapping. "Yesterday, two people were kidnapped,
now you have brought three new ones," one man said,
adding that one of our clean-shaven Pashtun colleagues
"would fetch Rs300,000" (US$5,200).
With this kind of
interaction with the tribals of Shawal in mind, later
that night, when Salahuddin was with this correspondent
in the guest house of the chief of the Shawal, we spoke
at some length, including various philosophies on
Sufism.
Asia Times Online: In
the outside world, the valleys of Shawal are considered
as hotbeds of al-Qaeda. What is your opinion on this?
Salahuddin:
Nobody can outright deny that there are no al-Qaeda in the
area, but people do not actually know. You have visited the
area - it comprises a very porous
mountainous border [with Afghanistan]. The government of Pakistan
has only stationed a brigade, which has set up a few
checkposts in the area. There are no barricades on the border,
only checkposts. At the same time, we all know that
resistance fighters are active in Paktia, Paktika and
Khost [provinces in Afghanistan's east] and when they
are chased [by the US] they cross the border into
Pakistan. The present force of the Pakistan army is
insufficient. They need to jack up their presence in the
area. At present, they are not in a position to secure
their own positions, how can they protect the area from
infiltration?
ATol: So you are
asking for additional troops in the area?
Salauddin: Of course, yes. But it
is not the only solution, there are some urgent steps
which are required also. The first step is the
installation of a TV booster in Shawal ... [interrupted]
ATol: There is no electricity in
the area, no hospital, and you ask for a TV booster?
Salauddin: Understanding and
awareness are more precious things than other
necessities. I run TV sets with batteries, and people
use bulbs and other electrical gadgets operated with car
batteries. These people do not have much ambition in
life. Therefore, they take recourse in fighting with
other tribes, and some of them support al-Qaeda and the
Taliban and fight their battles. The reason is their
minimum interaction with the outer world. Once these
people got a vision of the outer world through
television, it would change their social lives.
At the same time, education is equally
important. On my campaigning, the government constructed
a school In Shawal [which goes up to Standard 8] , but
since we do not have enough teachers, we only teach up
to Standard 6, and that is not up to the mark. I spoke
to the brigade commander of the area to provide us the
teachers. He arranged for two army men to teach subjects
like English and math. But after a while they felt it
was too difficult to handle the kids, and they gave up
teaching. I appeal to you through you publication to
private institutions to come forward and send educated
teachers and arrange for their salaries. We will provide
them with accommodation and full protection. Illiteracy
is the biggest problem of the area. Most of the Shawal
people are rich. Each house has three double-cabin
vehicles worth millions of rupees. Each family owns
land, yet you see children roaming the valleys with bare
feet, and they grow up without any understanding of what
life is all about.
ATol: During
the recent insurgency in South Waziristan, a major along
with two soldiers was shot dead in Shawal. Who was
behind it?
Salahuddin: Obviously
no Shawal tribe was involved. Major Waheed [the
deceased] was a known figure in the area, and known for
his down-to-earth nature. Whosoever is friendly with
Shawal people, we cannot think of killing him. It is
against the nature of these people.
ATol:
Then who were the killers?
Salahuddin: Maybe an infiltrator
from a neighboring tribe, maybe Northern Alliance
miscreants [from Afghanistan] to fan insurgency in all
the [seven] tribal areas, and yes, possibly al-Qaeda
fighters, who can easily cross into Pakistan for
hit-and-run operations. But let me make it clear, no
stranger can stay [unknown] in the Shawal area for any
length of time. It is impossible.
ATol:
The movement of tribes is the main reason behind
the infiltration. For instance, in the Pakistani Shawal,
we have tribes with relatives in the Afghan area of
Birmal, near the no-man's land of the Afghan Shawal.
What do you suggest to resolve this problem?
Salahuddin: The relationship with the
Afghan tribes is a reality, but there are other realities
as well. The whole world believes in international
boundaries - yet we have to live without boundaries.
The autonomy of our tribal belt has been something
of a shattered dream since September 11 [2001], and
if we tribals abide by these old concepts [no borders]
we will ultimately lose ... [interrupted]
ATol: But what about tribal
relations. There might be one cousin in Afghanistan, and
another in Pakistan?
Salahuddin:
We have examples of another great divide, and
that is India and Pakistan, in which millions of
families are divided. They have maintained their
relations under the legal restrictions. They get visas
and cross the borders to meet their relations. It is a
painful thing, but a reality. Ultimately, the same order
will have to prevail in the region to prevent
complications.
ATol: How is it
that you have views that are not shared by others in
Shawal?
Salahuddin: I received my
education in various places, including Lahore,
Bahawalpur, Hyderabad and Karachi, but my interaction
with the cosmopolitan lifestyle of Karachi gave me new
vision. At the same time, in the Sufi school of thought
I follow Shah Waliullah [the most prominent scholar Sufi
and reformer of his time, 1702-63, in Delhi]. Shah
Waliullah was the voice of reform in society, and was
against blind followings in religious schools, and
therefore emphasized new research.
Tomorrow,
Part 3: The Taliban's story
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Part 2: The 'al-Qaeda'
cleric 
Pakistan's North Waziristan
tribal area on the border with Afghanistan. He wears
several hats: those of a cleric, a Sufi, an educationist
(he is the most educated person in the valleys - a
master of arts, Arabic) - and a social worker.
in
Afghanistan - it is much more rugged and inhospitable
than the Pakistani one). 
as being extremely
remote, and beyond the general writ of law that governs
other Pakistanis. 
