A DOCUMENTARY was screened at the three-day Grand Pakhtun Qaumi Jirga recently. It focussed on the destruction caused by the so-called war on terror, and highlighted the innocent victims of the conflict. The statistics presented were deeply heart-wrenching and eye-opening. Some segments of the presentation were particularly emotional, giving voice to untold stories.

One particularly heart-breaking segment showed a video of a young girl named Raheela from Waziristan. In the video, she recalled how, on her way home from school, she picked up a toy from the road-side, which exploded in her hands. When she regained consciousness in the hospital, both her hands had been lost. Another gut-wrenching story focussed on a tragedy in a village in Lakki Marwat. In 2010, during a volleyball match, a blast killed 120 people. The village was later renamed ‘The Village of the Widows’.

The documentary also presented alar-ming data and statistics. Approximately 76,584 Pakhtuns have lost their lives in the so-called war over the last two decades. Over 5.7 million people have been disp-

laced from their homes in the Pakhtun belt, with 230,000 still living as internally displaced persons (IDPs). More than 27,000 women have become widows due to the ongoing conflict, and over 370,000 homes have been destroyed. Today, every third person in the tribal region suffers from some form of mental illness.

No doubt, these statistics, the first of their kind, opened my eyes. The war was aimed at eliminating terrorism and militancy, but it has led to massive civilian losses. These crises are of greater importance, and need to be addressed. Securing civilian lives must be a priority.

Ubaid Sahil
Swat

Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2025