EIGHT years ago, Operation Rah-i-Nijat was launched to free South Waziristan Agency from the grip of the Pakistani Taliban.

It was a massive operation and countless sacrifices were made, but eventually the state’s writ was established in the militancy-infested parts.

It would take many more years for IDPs from the agency to be allowed to go back, but this year a semblance of normality appeared to be returning to South Waziristan.

However, the return of the local populace has brought with it a resurgence of the Taliban, a worrying development for South Waziristan and the wider Fata region.

As reported in this newspaper yesterday, the Commander Nazir Group, a Wana-based Taliban faction, is, under the guise of a local peace committee, attempting to ban social and cultural activities in parts of the agency and restrict women’s movement.

The measures hearken back to the early days of the Taliban takeover in various parts of Fata — a disturbing reminder that peace in the region remains elusive, however much the local political administration may try to downplay the events.

Part of the problem is that the Commander Nazir Group was never fully dismantled in South Waziristan, despite major operations in Wana and the Mehsud-dominated regions of the agency.

Militant leaders belonging to the group are reported to have their own areas of jurisdiction to settle personal, family and property disputes and to impose fines and penalties — brazenly bypassing political authorities and effectively establishing parallel administrative systems.

Some members of the Commander Nazir Group are believed to even operate their own prisons. While there is only one known check-post that the group is currently operating, it has been seen patrolling other parts of South Waziristan.

If their activities are not quickly curtailed, the group may feel emboldened to return with force in Wana and even spread its operations to other areas. The state must respond quickly and firmly to the incipient return of the Taliban.

Also necessary is for the recently returned populations to be told that they will be protected — and for vulnerable members of all communities to be assured of their rights.

Women in particular face pressures from both sides, with a jirga held in South Waziristan in September announcing curbs on women’s liberties.

The rise of the Taliban in Fata and the many military operations that have been conducted to clear the region of them have made clear that the area cannot be allowed to return to a pre-Taliban era.

The region must be progressively brought to a par with the rest of Pakistan socially, economically, politically and administratively.

No group — not the Taliban nor other regressive elements in Fata — should be allowed to curb the rights of anyone there.

Certainly, the challenges are many and the path to normality will be long — but there must be zero tolerance for vigilantism and non-state justice.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2017