Apocalypse Afghanistan

The photograph below is a picture by Mauricio Lima for Time Magazine. It is part of a photo-essay that tells the story of a war-torn country and contrasts two very different worlds in Afghanistan.

Pashtunkhwa Zindabad

Pashtunkhwa Zindabad by Abdullah Muqurai



Dedicated to all.
Brought to my attention by a friend and a visitor to these pages.

Tor_Khan تور خان

Kha Yam ښۀ يم

In many ways we come full circle, because the lines that I quote from يا قربان - سندره د پښتنون that appear in the first posting in this blog were penned none other that Feroz Khan Afridi. Feroz Jan who has taken time to visit this blog, has given me permission to share a contemporary poem from his collection.

فيروز جان - ډیره ډیره مننه

Tor_Khan تور خان

Enjoy this ghazal entitled Kha Yam (I'm Okay)

ښۀ يم
فيروز اپريدے

چې په ښۀ لګمه ښۀ يم
چې په نه لګمه نه يم

زه چې څه يمه په تا يم
بې له تانه به زه څه يم؟

ستا په ساه کښې زما ساه ده
ته چې نه ئې زه به نه يم

ستا دا مهر چې په ما وي
ستا د نوم سره به زه يم

چې د بل په غم کښې ژاړي
ټک د غم چاودلې زړه يم

په خطا لاره په نه ځم
چې په پل د ستا د پله يم

مسافر د کوره تللے
مرور د خپل کاله يم

ما رانيسه زما ياره
زه فيروز درنه په تله يم

As If Hell Fell On Me

The Taleban came here and settled here. Now they have a dispute with the government, and the government started taking actions against them. If we stand with the government the Taleban will hit us. If we stand with the Taleban the government will target us. If we don't stand with any of them, you can see how bad our situation is.

Four million people live under the grip of Taleban rule in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa and the FATA regions of Pakistan, 1 million are displaced and ordinary people are caught right in the middle. The 130-page Amnesty report, As if Hell Fell on Me, was based on nearly 300 interviews with residents of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the surrounding area. It tells the narrative of the suffering of the people.The government tells a story of success in its combat with the militants. Five million people, and probably a good few more, tell a different story.

Consider this comment by Amnesty International. It sums it up for me:

Most discussions of the conflict ignore the fact that northwest Pakistan is heavily populated and that the majority of people who live in FATA and other areas of northwest Pakistan do not support or take part in violence and are going about the business of trying to farm, raise livestock, weave fabrics, transport goods, raise families, and build, repair, or teach. The well-being of these civilians is rarely mentioned in media reports or policy pronouncements by Taleban or US, Pakistani, or Afghan officials and there are few signs that leaders on either side of the conflict factor civilians into their policies or strategic analyses.

The photograph of the old lady from Waziristan reminds me of a great-aunt of mine who was displaced in the Swat exodus last year. That single tear just breaks the heart.

Je Ne Comprends Pas ...

Le monde est un endroit étrange. Je ne comprends pas ...
The world is a strange place. I do not understand it ...