(Sidra is an 8th grader in a remote area of Swat. Her school has been burnt to ashes in the recent turbulence Her intelligent and inquisitive mind has posed this question to all of us. The following is a translation of her article.)
Is the gloomy and distressing atmosphere generated by Taliban and our own government in Swat reversible?
This is a question if not on their lips then in the hearts of the parents and the children have become the fuel of this blazing conflagration.
Children who have lost their parents need support and sustenance, is the government or the Taliban ready to assist or take care of these orphans that their indiscriminate targeting has produced?
Mingawara (also Mingāora or Mingora) and Saidu Sharif are considered the most peaceful areas in the turbulent valley of swat as compared to other rural areas here. But it seems now that this urban area of swat is moving towards anarchy and the writ of government is gradually slackening. The police are imprisoned in their own police stations and even traffic police have shunned their duties. Several police officers and constables have been murdered since the last month. The district co-ordination officer (DCO), District police officer (DPO), Deputy inspector general of police (DIG) and Commissioner Malakand range are confined to their offices and houses, to the extent that they avoid meeting complainers in their offices.
As always Samar Minallah is brave and outspoken, talking for those who have no voice. God bless you Samar and may He keep you safe and reward you for all you have done and are doing for your fellow humans.
This is the unabridged documentary on the practice of Swara.
Swara is the Pukhtun tradition of giving (and in most cases an unwilling) daughter/female of the clan to the enemy in order to end an old rivalry. It is actually more like blood money/price where a girl is substituted for money. If scrutinized, this barbaric tradition is also against the faith of the people who practice it, since according to Islamic jurisprudence; a girl or a woman cannot be given as a trade agreement. A tribal custom which forces families to give their daughters away in marriage as "compensation" to aggrieved parties is deeply entrenched in local culture and needs to be handled very carefully, according to analysts and rights activists.
Dar Pa Dar is a documentary on the plight of Afghan refugee women who have silently borne the brunt and traumas of the war in Afghanistan. Left to raise families alone and learning to deal with the pain of husbands, sons and fathers returning severely handicapped or not at all. Now they face even more agony as they unwillingly leave behind those th
This is a short intro intended as a training video for police, and other organizations that are helping to prevent Swara. It also includes some of the success stories and gives a face to some of the girls that have been saved with timely intervention.
Samar Minallah's new 17 minute documentary “Da Bajuar Guloona” highlights the life of the people of Bajuar who have been forced into be refugee status. Since military operations started on August 6th about a third of the population were internally displaced and this documentary covers the heartbreak and distress of the refugees at the Pir Pai Refugee Camp in Nowshera.
Though no strangers to hardship and poverty, these people are under great distress and duress as they try to make sense of their lives. Forced to witness friends, family and neighbors blown into pieces by indiscriminate bombing and the agony of leaving them behind unburied as they themselves were forced to flee for safety.
Mahvish R Khan
My Guantanamo Diary
The Detainees and the Stories They Told Me
New York: Public Affairs 2008
302pp price $25.95
978 1 58648 498 9
Mahvish Khan's book “My Guantanamo Diary” is a quick and light read. She has penned her experiences meeting the detainees at Guantanamo Bay and how translating for the lawyers representing them gave her an insight very few civilians have had.
Starting out with her initial interest in the plight of these men she takes us with her as she over comes her own prejudices and wariness in meeting these men that were termed “worse of the worst” by Donald Rumsfeld. It is an eye opener for the reader too as we stop to consider that all the men that are there may actually not be guilty.
Attan, a pre-Islamic dance of the Afghans that has survived religious and political turmoil over thousands of years has become a symbol of Afghan and Pukhtun celebration. Performed both sides of the Durand line it holds great meaning to the performers, whether it is at a state level gathering or performed at a wedding or any other celebration. Different regions have developed their own signature style that is easily recognizable.
Sharif Khan (Old Man)
The hillsides of Bajaur bloom all year long. They are sweet as a rose, where even the bees are happy. The honey from these bees is better than honey from any other place.
Our children grieve away from home, no longer able to wander about freely without a care. This place can never be home.
To everyone their homeland seems as beautiful as Kashmir. Even poetry has been written for the flowers of Bajaur.
Narration I lived in Bajaur for 2 years. The Bajaur of my memory, was where women exchanged stories while washing clothes at streams, sang songs of joy at weddings, women like Kashmiray Malaka bravely managed tribes.