THE new tribal district of North Waziristan has been facing numerous challenges for long. The people of the district are patriotic and have always stood firm for the cause of Pakistan.

Earlier, they were chained in draconian laws, like the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), imposed by the British. They had faced hardships during the erstwhile Soviet Union’s occupation of Afghanistan. Later, the United States launched Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan which brought unending misery to the tribal areas, especially to Waziristan region, where nobody felt safe, especially the women and children.

The people of North Waziristan faced atrocities committed by Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and gave extraordinary sacrifices for the sake of durable peace in the region as well as for Pakistan.

In 2014, Pakistan Army launched Operation Zarb-i-Azb in order to get rid of TTP and to establish the writ of the state. The people of North Waziristan wholeheartedly supported the army, left their native land and lived for years in camps as internally displaced persons (IDPs) just for the sake of ensuring a peaceful Pakistan.

In recent weeks, the people of Waziristan protested against targeted killings in the area. This was their legitimate and constitutional right. The tribesmen announced the blockade of Waziristan which affected local businesses, and had far-reaching consequences on the already fragile economic conditions of the country.

Unfortunately, there was no immediate response from high-level officials who did not bother to pacify and calm them down. It was a time to console them and stand by them in these hard times.

Only collectively can we defeat our covert and overt enemies in order to make Pakistan peaceful and progressive.

The officials did come later and the protest was subsequently called off, but the delay in response only added to the sense of deprivation among the locals.

Majid Saleem Dawar
Peshawar

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2022