Two days back I got an opportunity to visit
South Waziristan. The idea of visiting Waziristan was rejected by my friends
and family due to obvious perception about Waziristan. It was considered to be the
most dangerous place where only the guns and bullets are dancing and death is
visible everywhere; however this entire thought vanished when I reached there physically.
This changed my entire thought which I had in my mind since 2004. In news
papers and on TV, I only heard news about slaughtering and killing but I did
not see anything like this in South Waziristan Agency. I met locals there they all are peaceful and
want the continuation of peace in their area which is now prevalent there.
I saw kids waving hands to army vehicles and
gather around soldiers shaking hands with them. They are very happy over the
works which Army initiated in their area. Elders tell army about their problems,
this shows their trust on army as they consider army their savior. Locals of
SWA were deprived of education and all the basic necessities of life. Due to
which they were easily misguided by rogue elements. Now schools have been
rehabilitated and children are taking classes as kids go to schools in other
parts of Pakistan. I saw a girls’ school
in Kotkai which is ready to educate the girls of area. The principal told me
that session of classes is about to start and people of area have shown him
their keenness to send their girls to schools. Army has constructed a Cadet college in Spinkai
where students are studying and willing to serve the country as other
professionals are doing. Apart from this Army distributes books and other
literary readable to the children of area. Free medical camps are also held
occasionally by Army.
One of the most notable things is that the people
there are very talented. Army constructed a football stitching center in
Chakmalai. Army Commanders brought football stitching instructors from Sialkot
who trained the locals of area the stitching of football. When the boys of the
area stitched the footballs there, these proved to be the footballs of
international standards which can be exported in all over the world with the
stamp of “made in Waziristan” so the world could know that Waziristan is
peaceful area with a unique potential. I came to know that locals of Waziristan
are so fond of football that they used to play football in pre-partition era and
even now there are two competent football teams which held tournaments in the
area and a huge number of people come to see this healthy activity. Keeping
their athletic spirit Army made cricket gourds and other playing fields in the
area which are now filled with sportsmen of Waziristan. So the battle fields of
death have turned into the grounds of life.
Since people had no opportunity to get
education and find the ways of livelihood so army made an entire sections of
rehabilitations which meets people, who are jobless, conduct their consultancy
and schooling to make them earning members of their families. Some people have
been suggested that they should cultivate their fields and others to focus on
their cattle. Many families after cultivations earn profit and many benefitted
from farming. Army helps them buy cows and goats of good quality from Punjab
and other parts of KP, to start business of livestock. Now people are engaged
in hard work and earning, they have threw their weapons aside. They want to
earn and get education. This gave trust and sense of security to IDPs who were
reluctant to come back in the area. Now they have started returning to their
areas. In the same way poultry farms and honey production has been started in
the areas. After the laboratory test the honey produced in SWA proved to the
purest form of honey. Which can be exported in the other areas of Pakistan with
the stamp of “Waziristan Honey”. Now people
are working in these livelihoods trying to make these lasting in their lives.
Lastly Army is training suspected militants
in rehabilitation center at Tank, these suspects were involved in assisting
hardcore militants but they were not involved in any bloodshed or any heinous
crime. Many of them are educated; even I met an electrical engineer there. They
are being taught the real face of Islam which is peace; other professional training
is also being given to them according to their interests to make them the
healthy members of society. It’s all due to Army and its efforts.
After this visit to SWA my fear by and by
suspended and my disbelief that there are only guns and blasts in Waziristan
changed in to belief that if they are guided in right directions which Army is
doing the FATA can again become the most peaceful area as it was in pre-2000 era.
Raja Waheed
Ashraf
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