THE chaotic situation in Swat, once the haven of foreign as well as local tourists for the allure of its scenic beauty and the welcoming attitude of its people, has lasted far too long to feel that it is a passing phase. The espousal of extremist ideas and attempts to enforce them through militant means have continued to defy the efforts of security authorities to prevent the burning of schools, especially girls schools, and video shops and the brutal suppression of anything the uneducated religious exponents find unacceptable from the Islamic point of view as they interpret it. Let alone the outsiders, it is making the lives of local residents unbearable, and many of them have been forced to leave the valley for safer areas. Only on Sunday, a religious leader, who belonged to a different school of thought, was killed along with his nine followers. The militants killed two women and a young man, set a snooker club on fire and looted the house of a retired army doctor. While it is incumbent upon the authorities to ensure the safety of citizens at all costs, it is time they started thinking of putting an end to the mayhem with means other than the aggressive and confrontationist approach that they have been following so far. On this day when Dhaka fell putting the final stamp on the wish for separation from Pakistan, the thoughts inevitably create a feeling of trepidation and uneasiness. The return of peaceful conditions that should be the government's priority stipulates the removal of the raison d'tre of the conflict to create a sense of belonging.