Swat Valley: Paradise Lost

Swat Valley is just like a paradise on earth. A very beautiful and calm valley in northern part of Pakistan. Nature's beauty can be experienced. It can be linked to Switzerland - a land of rivulets, forests, snow-capped mountains, luscious green fertile valleys and its temperate climate. It is also the home of ancient Buddhism and a major center of Gandhara civilization.

With high mountains, green meadows, and clear lakes, it is a place of great natural beauty that used to be popular with tourists as "the Switzerland of Pakistan". In December 2008 most of the area was captured by the Taliban insurgency and is now too dangerous for tourism. Islamist militant leader Maulana Fazlullah and his group Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi have banned education for girls and have bombed or torched "more than 170 schools ... along with other government-owned buildings."

WARNING: Due to the ongoing military operation since August 2007, foreigners should steer clear of this area (even Pakistanis are doing so). There is a checkpoint at Chakdara where the road to Dir and Swat split that you will probably be stopped at, if you even get that far.








Let's stop terrorism and extremism so that the tourists from all around the world can visit this paradise again.

Comments

Anonymous said…
wow..
never have any idea that pakistan is this beautiful!

condemn any war!!

anyway, just want to let you know that i moved to another "house": http://ancillairwan.wordpress.com