I came across a news item about the state of Pakistan disarming the tribes in Kurram agency and reading through the contents took me back about 25 years back in time when a retired FF tribesman I knew from Army days visited me. I have quoted him few times and for some I might sound like a broken record who belong to
that 50% of Pakistanis who consider shias as kafirs but I will say it anyway because I dont care about theological or sectarian debate since the actions speak for themselves and sadly people of my faith are making the headlines from France, Denmark, Iraq, Syria and south east Asia for all the wrong reasons.
before I give any more details I will invite everyone to read the news item
Kurram people told to surrender arms
Elders in lower Kurram will meet in few days to find out a solution to the problem, said an elder.
Najeeb Turi, an elder of lower Kurram, told Dawn by the telephone that residents of Bilyameen, Alizai, Enzari and surrounding villages had been told to surrender weapons.
“A junior commissioned officer conveyed a message of the colonel commandant of Kurram Militia to the people hand over every type of heavy weapons and ammunition immediately,” he said.
“Disarming people in Kurram at a time when the security forces are moving against militants in other areas looks very strange and the decision has scared the people. It means that our hands and feet are tied and we are left to be slaughtered like chickens,” he said.
Kurram people told to surrender arms - Pakistan - DAWN.COM
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so back to my story
just for the benefit of those who dont know or care, both Tori and Bangash tribes are predominantly follow the shia faith. their villages have been under siege since the times many of the members here were not even conceived. under siege by whom? an innocent but logical question.
under siege by those who deem these miserable tribes infidel and have been killing them ransacking them and violating their women for decades. Punjabi taliban as we know them now, who used to be called sipah sahabah or lashker jhangvi used to make their spiritual journey in these parts of the world to get the chance of unchallenged slaughter and massacre so that they can take these new skills and and experience back to the settled parts of the country.
the details of the atrocities against these government friendly tribes are no different to the victims of ISIS.. the victims are not just shot but there is an entire ritual towards it. whether its the intercepted conveys or the villages themselves... the children are killed first, either tossed in the local rivers or beheaded in front of their parents, then comes the turn of their women who are gang raped and their body parts are hacked off... the male members who are mortally wounded a re made to see all this and then they are executed in the end.
this former FF (frontier force sub-e-dar) gave me the grisly details and left me shocked and speechless. these were the times when we Pakistanis were shedding tears over Sabrenesca and other Bosnian massacres knowing too little that something similar was happening to the condemned tribes by very same Muslims who offer prayers with us and celebrate eid and condemn India and Israel together. he in the end said that since his tribe had started to fight back and inflicted some losses on the lashkers that come from Afghanistan and other parts of FATA... the government has brought in paramilitary forces and is disarming us. and like before we will be attacked and massacred because we got no means to defend ourselves
he requested some money or weapons even hand guns if I could spare any so that he could shoot his wife and daughters dead before putting the last fight against the attackers and dying in the process. he had no doubt in his mind that his minor girls and wife will be violated , torched and killed and he considered finishing them off himself to be a better alternative.
he spoke in such matter of fact way that I couldn't speak at all.... I politely refused because it was just unreal for me. I offered food and rest instead and he didnt insist or repeat his request.he was too proud for that and understanding my ignorance and reluctance he left. before that I didnt even know that he was from shia faith and it might look odd to an outsider that a shia was asking for help from a sunni against an attack by sunni militias but our relation was from military.
yes his village was raided and there was a 2 column news on the back pages of the national daily and that was that. what became of him is unknown but what is known is since we entered WoT, the attacks on shias increased in their magnitude and violence. during the time of Gen Kyani the things got that bad that these under siege had to get help from Afghan side and they were completely cut off from Pakistan ( we were weeping over the economic blockade of the Palestinians by the Israelis). there was one attempt made to provide food to these besieged villages back in 2008 or 2009 but the trucks were intercepted and torched by the marauding taliban forces and their drivers were burnt alive inside their vehicles.
altough this news talks about confiscating ONLY the heavy weapons from these Pakistan friendly tribes who have been holding the lines against the taliban forces who have sworn out to Islamic state and find it more compelling and divine to exterminate these forsaken people but I know from experience now that officials sympathetic to terrorists will strip down the Turi and Bangash tribes of even the hand guns and will give an all clear signal to their brothers in faith who normally occupy the hill tops and snipe the villagers or drop mortar bombs on them.
posters here who are clueless and ignorant will point at the presence of the army and I quote the tribal elders from these parts and other parts of FATA who are pro government say..
"Taliban laugh at us and tell us that the army wont stay here forever and will eventually leave and when it does they will come for the throats of our sons and will distribute our women among themselves."
in short i predict and expect some massacres that will be just another news item and statistic to other mass atrocities in rest of Pakistan.
Pakistan Ka Khuda Hafiz
may the Creator of all creations Look after His creation from harm.
indeed Allah ki Nagri may dair hay andhair nahi.
Pak Fouj Zindabad
you got your hands full. look after the state and its people