Delawar Jan
BARAWAL BANDI (Upper
Dir): A group of senior citizens fondly recollected how people of this border
region maintained trade with Afghanistan and walked across the Durand Line
unhindered.
Both trade and cross-border movement
stopped after Pakistan Army’s deployment on the boundary along Upper Dir
following attacks by militants based in Kunar.
The valued mushroom, good quality timber,
wool and desi ghee no more reach this region from Afghanistan’s Kunar province
that borders both Upper Dir and Lower Dir districts. Afghans, who until
recently crossed over from Afghanistan to buy clothes, shoes and food items,
can no longer come to Barawal Bandi.
During a visit to the border town
recently, one found the elders discussing the past in a poky second-floor room
of the bazaar.
“I remember my last visit when I stayed
for a night in [Pakistani area of] Karakar and reached [Afghanistan’s] Machbina
area midday next day as part of a jirga,” Fazl Hanan said.
Upper Dir has no road link with
Afghanistan and people used to trek mountainous paths to cross over to Zorr
Barawal, Dolai, Qasim, Batash, Chiragal, Loya Dera, Marano Dabona, Mashango
Kass, Barikot and other villages and towns of Afghanistan. Trudged under the
weight, mules or men would take goods to Afghanistan.
Apart from mutual trade, tribes on both
sides of the border had friendships and relations. Ghulam Muhammad, a 75-year
old man, said he had visited people on the other side of the border more than
20 times.
Some tribes like Mishwani and Katani (also
called Kohistanis) straddle the boundary and maintained connections. Elders say
Mishwani is the major tribe that inhabits Sonai Darra, Nusrat Darra, Bin Darra
and Shingara Darra, all situated on the border. Other tribes that live in these
areas are Katani, Taran, Swati, Tajak and Bahadar Shahkhel.
The trade and cross-border movement
stopped after Pakistan sent thousands of troops in September 2011 to protect
the border against incursions by Pakistani Taliban entrenched in Kunar and
Nuristan provinces of Afghanistan.
The deployment hardly disturbs people
here. For them, their security and the country’s sovereignty are more
important. “Had the army not been deployed along the border, the Taliban would
have also slaughtered people by now in Barawal Bandi and strutted around its
streets,” Fazl Hanan said.
He referred to the June 2011 attack by
Taliban that killed 27 police and Levies officials and some civilians in
Shaltalo, a border village some 15 kilometres west of Barawal Bandi. In 2012,
the fighters loyal to the reclusive Swat Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah
slaughtered 17 soldiers deployed on the border.
However, the militants never crossed the
border after the deployment and could not launch attacks for 15 months, giving
confidence to people that they were now secure. That confidence was shattered
by the mid-September attack this year. Fazlullah’s group killed a two-star
general, Maj Gen Sanaullah Niazi, in a roadside blast, an incident
‘unthinkable’ for the local people.
The incident disturbed Fazl Hanan and
others. “What happened that day was wrong and shocking. The incident caused us
bad name and many problems,” he said.
Investigations are underway but it still
remains unclear how the attacker(s) managed to stalk the general and kill him.
Some officials in Dir speculated that it could have been a ‘coincidence’. These
officials see ‘complacency’ behind the decision not to clear the dusty road
before the general’s visit. They said a vehicle that carried jammers and led
the way was asked to follow the general’s vehicle as it was raising clouds of
dust off the road.
Around 40 suspects, according to
officials, are being interrogated at a military base but no breakthrough has
been reported. An army officer said investigations continued but could not be
shared with the media.
The militants, who have escaped military
operations in Malakand division in 2009, have built sanctuaries in Kunar and
Nuristan provinces and regrouped under their leader, Maulana Fazlullah.
Two weeks after the high-profile attack,
calm prevailed in the town of Barawal Bandi and other areas up to Shahikot, a
small town some 34 kilometres west of Dir near the Afghan border. A walk by
schoolchildren in Barawal Bandi, usual business in its bazaar and normal flow
of traffic and construction of houses and roads indicated that routine life had
not been disturbed. There was no unusual movement of soldiers or any visible
tension.
Shahikot had, however, signs of calm
tension. An army barrier stopped vehicles from entering the bazaar as these
were diverted to the bypass. As shops continued routine business, with some
drying the fresh produce of walnut in the sun, several were closed. Customers
hardly figured.
“Troops corralled us near the stream after
the attack, but we had no idea about the incident,” said the young Nisarul Haq
in Shahikot.
“When we came to know about it and I
returned home, my father told me ‘I cannot show you my heart but it’s
bleeding’.”
He said soldiers were not tough on them
even after such a major attack.
In this hard area, resources with the
security forces are limited. As some soldiers have been billeted in government
buildings, others live in shops. Surprisingly, the area’s police station was
working in a single shop.
Several posts on the ridges overlooked the
area, in addition to dozens more that dot the forward areas.
