Abstract
The FM radio played an important role in the rise of the Taliban
in Swat. Their leader, Maulana Fazlullah, was not the first cleric
to use the airwaves to reach out to the masses but he was the
first who was able to win over people to his version of Islam by
his broadcasts on the pirate FM radio. The timings and contents
of his broadcasts were carefully chosen to reach the maximum
number of people. Their influence on the people was beyond
anyone’s expectations. Soon, Fazlullah became known as
“Mullah Radio” and his radio sermons convinced a great many
people that the militants were struggling for a just cause. The
broadcast became very popular and during the height of
Fazlullah’s control in Swat in 2007 and 2008, almost everyone
listened to his radio. The listeners were influenced by the
messages which slowly prepared them for an armed struggle. It
can be said that he would have not been able to raise a big army
of fighters without the comprehensive communication system he
created using his pirate FM radio service. It was so important
that the Taliban tried their best to keep it on-air when they were
on the run during the army operation. The key lesson is that
rebel media plays a key role during militancy to advance their
agenda and state authorities should take proactive measures to
stop or neutralize it to end violence.
Sajjad Malik. (2013) Media And Militancy: Case Study Of Use Of Fm Radio By Taliban In Swat, IPRI Journal, Volume-13, Issue-1.
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