With the onset of the long awaited cleanup operation ‘Zarb-i-Azab’
in Waziristan, people have started discussing the rationalisation and outcomes
of the operation – as if already the rampant stupidity of ‘being dubious about
Taliban as our outright enemies’ wasn’t enough. Even more than a decade of
turmoil, the resulting loss of life and economy could not teach us enough.
Since years, these so called ‘Saviours of Islam and Muslim
Ummah’ are thriving on our blood, openly massacring our people, our economy and
our freedom to choose right over wrong.
Pity, that even the cleverly named, Operation ‘Zarb-e-Azab,’
could not incite enough patriotism and religious fervor to overcome our
people’s unfathomable sympathy for Taliban. But still, kudos to Pakistan Army
for choosing an incredible name for the operation. What better way could have
been to assert that it’s them who have the ‘sword of righteousness,’ not
Taliban!
Whatever the outcome of operation may be, whether we would
be able to clean sweep the terrorists’ sanctuaries in the area, or we are only making
these terrorist flee back to Afghanistan through a porous border in between, we
would definitely have a serious problem at hand with rehabilitating the scores
of Internally Displaced People (IDPs).
Around 800,000 IDPs are living in extreme poverty, hunger and
disgrace in inadequate facilities of IDP camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - Families
of 10-12 people having only a piece of cloth for shelter. From an ever cold
weather of North Waziristan, right into the 42 degrees heat of Bannu and
adjacent areas, these camps are not only hell of heat and hunger for these
people, they are also place of shame and disgrace. For these tribes take
extreme pride in the sanctity of their women and having their women out in open
among strangers is considered an outrageous dishonor by them. Those of us who
can relate to this feeling of hounour of women can understand the state of turmoil,
these tribesmen must be going through, leaving their self esteem in tatters.
But it’s appalling to see, how every fraction of our society
and every political party has shrugged themselves off from taking
responsibility of this war and its affectees. Obnoxiously, other provinces are
shunning their borders for IDPs. Pathetic, that those political parties are stead
using this issue to do politics of their vested interests.
This war is being fought for us, so we can recover our lost
prosperity and economy - step out of our houses, pray in our mosques, churches
and temples and choose our own values and ways of living without the fear of
bearded and self-righteous fanatics exploding themselves in every nook and
corner of this country.
If this war is fought for us, we bear the responsibility of
all its consequences – including the IDPs. I don’t think any of us this year is
entitled to take gratification in our fasts and enjoy our Eid, without helping
these IDPs. We owe them!
Bushra
1920 hours
Sunday 29 June 2014
