Swat Valley used to be green. Now the green looks dull and grey. The people living here are tired. They forget. And when personal histories, and personal and collective geographies are marred with memories of violence, isn't short-term memory loss the natural answer? Who has the courage to confront memory amidst the rhythm of the everyday, lay it to rest, and more painfully, make sense of all the killings and the aftermath – that is, a military regimenting a whole population for the crime of being conquered by a militant group?
Swat is a mountainous area, known for its scenic beauty. The locals would tell you with pride that once Queen Elizabeth II called it "Switzerland of the East". A militant movement emerged in Swat around 2002-03, and started its violent campaign in 2006. For the next three years, the whole region saw dogfighting between the armed forces of Pakistan and the Taliban. Swat is best known as Malala Yousafzai's hometown, but also as the backdrop to her heroic tale. In that background lurks the shadow of Fazlullah, leader of the Swat faction of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and later its head. Over time, the humans of the valley and their fears, memories and history are lost. They feature as passive agents who were oppressed by the Taliban – the standard story of people suffering under militant fanatics, while being delivered from tyranny by the courage and bravery of the armed forces.