Voice from Waziristan

Khalid Bhatti

Today on 28th October, 2007 I woke up to the horror stories of killing and beheading of thirteen people in Swat, Pakistan that occupied the front page of “Gulf daily News, Bahrain”. Depressed and dejected, I did not know what to do except calling one of my friends from tribal regions to sound him about about the current situation there. I called my friend whose name we can assume to be Atif as disclosing his real name can result in his premature and involuntary journey to the next world. We went to the same school in Dera Ismail Khan and he comes from a well respected family of South Waziristan, the area that have become famous all around the world for all the wrong reasons.

out about the current situation there. I called my friend whose name we can assume to be Atif as disclosing his real name can result in his premature and involuntary journey to the next world. We went to the same school in Dera Ismail Khan and he comes from a well respected family of South Waziristan, the area that have become famous all around the world for all the wrong reasons.

After exchanging usual pleasantries, I was taken back by his narrative of horror that ordinary people are facing there. I will reproduce our discussion for the benefit of readers, which almost took the form of an interview. I have tried to keep his style of narrative intact so that the readers can judge the situation themselves. Further, these are the feelings and opinions of my friend and I do not have any other source to verify them, though I have never found him anything but an upright and sincere person.

Me: Atif! What is going on in the tribal areas?

Atif: Yar (friend), you are talking about tribal area. Even the settled areas of Tank and Dera Ismail Khan (settled areas adjacent to South Waziristan agency) are not immune from Talibanization. Ordinary people are suffering at their hands as well at the hands of Government Forces. Killings are the matter of routine now, and there is sense of fear among all people.

Me: Who are these people?

Atif: Yaraji (O friend), these people are Taliban. Their leaders are the people who were part of Taliban in Afghanistan, and they have recruited a large number of local youth.

Me: Are they local or from other countries?

Atif: There are very few foreigners, and they just live as guests; they do not involve themselves in local politics and keep to themselves. But the Taliban faction, who is creating trouble, is all local.

Me: Local youth? How they have joined them?

Atif: Actually, the youth do not listen to anyone, anymore. They have been brainwashed to the extent that even if father or brothers of these Taliban try to convince them, they reply by branding the father or brother as “munafiq” (Hypocrite). If pressed further, they even do not hesitate to kill the family member who confronts them. The whole social fabric has torn down.

Me: Who brainwashes them?

Atif: Taliban, who somehow have the idea of bringing the entire world to the folds of Islam. They have found these idiots in tribal areas, who can be bent to do anything due to their stupidity in the name of Islam, though they do not have even the slightest idea regarding the basic tenants of Islam. The ranks and files of Taliban comprise of various youth sections of societies including the petty thieves, thugs, unemployed and fanatics. No one can touch them and they roam around freely in the country.

Me: What is government doing about it? After all, army is deployed in the area?

Atif: Yaraji, even a simpleton like me understands that it is the government itself, which is responsible. They have allowed them to grow to show the world that there is problem in these areas. Sometime, to show the world they attack them and then go about shouting about it. They do not even hesitate to sacrifice their own poor soldiers in the process. Tell me, if ISI is not helping them, then how come they have all the latest weapons except tanks and armored vehicles. Now, they have even acquired some armored vehicles also after kidnapping army convoy and are roaming around in it. Almost every single Taliban commander, however small and insignificant he may be, possesses four wheelers and roams around with the escort of bodyguards. Part of the money that is coming to combat terrorism is actually used to help them.

Me: So, the ISI is behind that?

Atif: Yes; most definitely they are. They even have suicide training camps in Waziristan where they train young boys from the age of twelve to sixteen. They brainwash them and make them believe that this is real Jihad, and when they will die in their cause, they will go straight to Jannat.

Me: What the tribal elders are doing about it?

Atif: What can they do; traditionally they were respected and obeyed but in new situation they are totally helpless. Those who have tried are made example for others. ‘un ko baqiyon kay liyay nishan-e-ibrat bana diyaa gaya hay’. Just imagine, when Imam of Ka’ba said that suicidal attacks are haram, even he was branded as “munafiq”. As I told you, they do not listen to anyone, anymore. Alims (Islamic scholars) cannot even confront them; remember, what they did to Moulana Hassan Jan, whose only sin was that he was openly opposed to suicidal attacks.

Me: Once, you politically belonged to Moulana Fazl-Ur-Rehman. Does he have any influence?

Atif: That was in college days, and he cannot do anything. He is also afraid of them. Few days ago, on the occasion of Eid, when people went to greet him, he did not come out of his residence, because he was not sure about who is friend and who is not among two to three hundred people who went to greet him. His brother’s house was recently attacked by rocket fire.

Me: So no one can oppose them?

Atif: Yara ji, you reckon yourself. The things I am telling you, I cannot say in open, because if I do, I am sure that my headless body will be found in two or three days; and this is Dera Ismail Khan, so called settled area. The situation in Tank is worse than that. You remember Sheeraz (not real name), whose relative was kidnapped for ransom in Tank by Taliban. Yaraji, our heart bleeds for what is happening. When some Talib is killed most of the time he is not from the leadership, but is some poor person’s son or brother. Even at the funeral, parents cannot mourn their misguided dead sons as Taliban highjack the funeral and project the death as the death of a hero. When some person of armed forces is killed, he is also some poor soldier struck like us in this bloody situation.

Me: What is the reason that youth join Taliban?

Atif: Yaraji, most of the youth is not educated, and even those who are educated are unemployed because of no economic opportunities. Now, in this scenario, if one knows that he will get money to sustain himself and his family with the added benefit of becoming so called true Muslim, what do you think he will do?

Me: So, they get paid?

Atif: Yes, they get money to sustain themselves. ‘Chai paani chalta hay unka’.

Me: Where they get money from?

Atif: Yaraji, what do you think this money for war on terror goes to? And look, what we have due to them. Nowadays, even the banks in Punjab refuse to open a bank account for us when they come to know about our origin from the identification paper.

Me: Is your family okay?

Atif: No; I have to resettle with all of my family to Dera Ismail Khan and Tank. But these areas are not immune also, as even here they can pick anyone at will and the body is found after few days. People are so much scared that now they don’t have to kidnap them anyone. They just sent a ‘parchi’ (epistle) ordering to go and meet someone and no one dare refusing to go as otherwise whole family bears the brunt. Four, five of our own near ones have become victims (he did not elaborate here, even when pressed). Bas yaraji dua karo kay Allah hum per raham karay - Just pray that may Allah have mercy on us.

At this point, I was not able to continue the conversation and I changed the topic. He asked me when I am coming to Pakistan, and told me that he will himself come to Lahore to meet me, as he cannot invite me anymore due to the situation, and that’s when my eyes moistened as I cannot believe to hear this from my Pathan friend, who are famous all over the world for hospitality.

Frankly speaking, at this moment, I do not know what to write anymore, except remembering my younger days in Dera Ismail Khan and one of my visits to tribal areas with a wedding party (“barat”) when we went around dancing at the beat of “Dhol”. I think it would be a very long time till we are able to hear the beat of “dhol” and voices of joy again in those areas, if any at all.

(http://www.chowk.com/articles/12844)