It’s quite strange to be sitting in the basement of Peshawar University, surrounded by six blind men. “Do you know why we are called special?” asks Iqbal Adrali. “It’s a euphemism for disabled. If someone’s wounded, nobody refers to them as disabled, but instead the wound is treated consistently till it’s better.” Clearly these men are not looking for handouts or pity, but are instead determined to triumph despite their disadvantages.

They have gathered in this basement, which doubles as a makeshift computer institute, in order to teach each other how to use computers, but when I look around there isn’t a single computer in sight.  That’s strange, considering that the TV report that led me to their doorstep featured several computers on which they were diligently working. “Where are the computers that I saw in that TV report?” I ask Yasir, the person around whom the whole project revolves.

“We borrowed them that day for the report,” he replies. I suppose that must have made for better footage than bare desks and walls.

“The vice chancellor of the university has promised to give us some computers soon — let’s hope he does,” he says as if anticipating my next question. His lips curl in a cynical smile as he speaks, clearly showing that such promises have been made in the past.

Not all of them were born blind; some lost their eyesight recently, like Amir Khan, who has come over to see if the group can help him get some software for his phone. “It’s called Talks & Zooms,” says Yasir. “Anything that appears on the screen is read out aloud.”

However, the software cannot run on just any phone and requires a comparatively expensive one. That’s something out of Amir’s reach for now as his blindness has also deprived him of his previous job as a reporter in a local newspaper. He is still coming to terms with the loss of both his vision and his livelihood, but while he cannot restore his sight, he has invested in a small business and hopes that he may soon have at least a regular income. Then he can think of buying the phone that will make his life so much easier.

In the meantime the only computer they have is the laptop that Nadir has brought from his home. “We use a screen reading software called Jaws that costs somewhere between $800-1000 while Talks & Zooms costs about $300,” says another Amir, who works as a telephone operator at the local phone exchange.

“Luckily, we live in Pakistan and the pirated version is available for free here!” he says as the group bursts into laughter. Nadir has brought the laptop to teach the others how to use the internet, and while the Facebook page loads, various emails are exchanged. Since there’s only one laptop, not all of them can access the internet but they learn by listening to Jaws read out the screen. The group then starts discussing videos that they can share on Facebook. “What if I can’t find you on Facebook?” asks one of them. “My ID has a display picture,” Yasir replies. “Just ask someone from your family to sit with you and they’ll help you identify me.”

Along with computers, there’s something else that’s missing here. “Are there are no women or girls in this group?” I ask. “Taboos”, they reply in unison. “They are blind, they are women and they are living in a conservative Pashtun society. That’s enough.”

The group members say they are trying to spread awareness about their programs, but haven’t had much luck. Security is a major concern and, of the twenty or so members, only a few can actually make it to the meetings. Most of them find it hard to travel on their own, and the lack of transport is a serious problem. However Yasir, who live in Charsadda (40 km from Peshawar) rubbishes such concerns as he picks up his white cane saying: “When you have this and enough willpower, you don’t need to worry.”

The group decide to take Amir to a computer store to get the software installed on his mobile phone but as the sun sets, they are faced with another problem. The CNG stations have called a strike and public transport is not available so they decide to pool in their money and hire a cab.

As they are about to leave, Kamal, the eldest among the men, says something that makes them all laugh. When I ask what the joke is he says, “Whenever we go into a shop, the shopkeeper’s first reaction is to say: ‘Maaf ka rora, nan khairat nashta’ (forgive us brother, we don’t have anything to give in charity today).”

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, May 6^th, 2012.

PESHAWAR / KHAR: At least 24 people, including seven Levies personnel, were killed while 66 others were injured on Friday when a suicide bomber attacked security personnel in Khar Bazaar, the main town of Bajaur Agency.

A curfew was imposed in the area for an indefinite period after the attack.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.

“We carried out the attack today,” said TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan. “We are very happy today that we have achieved our target.”

A senior official from the area, Hasib Khan, told The Express Tribune that a suicide bomber – reportedly a teenager – detonated himself near a Levies check post in the middle of the main square in Khar Bazaar. “Seven Leives personnel died in the attack,” he said.

A senior official of the political administration, Fida Muhammad, was also killed in the attack.

Political Agent Islam Zed, while confirming that it was a suicide attack, said that the security had been beefed up after Thursday’s attack in Bajaur Agency, even then the attack couldn’t be thwarted.

He said no transport, except for ambulances and vehicles carrying the injured, was being allowed to enter or leave the area as a result of the curfew.

All shops were closed after the imposition of the curfew except for pharmacies, which remained open in case of an emergency.

An official from the area told The Express Tribune that initial reports suggested that the target of the bomber was Subedar Major Javed and Subedar Quarter Master Fazl Rabi, who was also honoured with the Tamgha-e-Shujaat award.

Some of the injured who were shifted to Agency Headquarter Hospital Khar said that the bomber was a young boy who attacked Levies personnel seated outside a shop, owned by Haji Ramzan.

The commander of Bajaur Scouts told The Express Tribune that there were reports of the suicide bomber coming from across the border and staying overnight in the area before carrying out the attack.

All shops were closed after the imposition of the curfew except for pharmacies, which remained open in case of an emergency.

One of the injured explained that the bomber ran towards the security officials and detonated himself.

Officials are investigating the matter.

Officials at the Agency Headquarter Hospital said that the condition of many injured was critical and that some of them might be shifted to Peshawar and other nearby districts. An emergency has been declared at the hospital.

On Thursday, five people, including three security officials, were killed while one person suffered injuries when two roadside Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) went off in Bajaur Agency.

Officials had said that two of the men were from the FC while one was from the Bajaur Levies.

The vehicle was destroyed by the security forces on guard.

“The attacker tried to target the Zalia Gate of the scouts camp,” an official told The Express Tribune. “The vehicle, which was intercepted by the security men on guard, was fired upon immediately after it was intercepted,” he added.

The official confirmed that five security men sustained “minor injuries”, adding that the cause of the injuries were not from the splinters of the vehicle or the explosives but because their bunkers had been affected because of the intensity of the explosion.

Sources told The Express Tribune that rockets were initially fired to divert the attention of the security forces before the pick-up tried to target the military installation in the main city of South Waziristan Agency. “The intensity of the explosion was so loud that it could be heard at a distance of almost three kilometres,” a resident of the area said.

Wana, which is part of the Wazir tribe’s territory, is the subject of a “peace treaty” between the government and the tribe. The area has witnessed much violence since the bodies of two security personnel were discovered in the main market of the town last month.

A jirga of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe has been given a deadline to hand over the culprits along with kidnapped security personnel within 15 days, which expires today (Sunday).

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15^th, 2012.

PESHAWAR/DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Five security officials sustained minor injuries in Wana, South Waziristan after they intercepted and destroyed an explosive laden vehicle, officials said on Saturday.

A suicide bomber riding in an explosive laden vehicle was intercepted at the gate of Wana Scouts Camp, in South Waziristan. Security forces on guard, realising the lone driver’s intentions, fired and killed the bomber.

“The attacker tried to target the Zalia Gate of the Scouts Camp” an official told The Express Tribune, “the vehicle which was intercepted by security men on guard was fired upon immediately after it was intercepted.”

The official, while confirmed five security men had sustained “minor injuries”, added that the cause of the injuries were not splinters from the exploding vehicle, rather from parts of the bunker which fell due to the intensity of the explosion.

Sources told The Express Tribune that some men had fired rockets preceding the attack to divert attention of security forces as the pick-up tried to target the military installation in the main city of South Waziristan Agency. “The explosion was so loud that it could be heard for a distance of up to three kilometres,” a resident of the area described.

Wana, which is part of the Wazir tribe territory, enjoys a “peace treaty” between the government and the tribe. The area has seen much violence since bodies of two security personnel were discovered from the main market in the town last month.

However, a Jirga of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe has been given a deadline to hand over the culprits along with the kidnapped security personnel within fifteen days. That deadline expires on April 15.

PESHAWAR: The rhetoric may have been cordial and friendly, but the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government faced something akin to an all-out revolt against the energy-saving measures recommended by the National Energy Conference.

At a meeting of the Task Force on Energy in Peshawar on Friday, the provincial government faced stiff resistance from the chambers of commerce and traders’ lobbying groups at the suggestion that they shift to a two-day weekday and only grudging acceptance of the idea that commercial areas in the province be shut down by 8 pm.

The task force includes members of the provincial cabinet, senior civil servants, the provincial police chief, the chief engineer of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) – which serves the whole province – as well as the heads of the chambers of commerce and traders associations in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Members went over every recommendation made at the Second National Energy Conference that was held in Lahore earlier this week.

It soon became clear that the government officials and representatives of the state-owned power company wanted to reduce consumption as much as possible but were faced with resistance from the businessmen who were worried about their competitiveness with respect to their rivals in other provinces.

A common sentiment among many of the businessmen was that the provincial government should reject the federal proposal to share electricity in proportion to each province’s population, arguing that since Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa produces a large chunk of the nation’s electricity, its businesses should have more of it for their own use.

Pesco Chief Engineer Latif Khan explained that this was not entirely within the provincial government’s control. “Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had been allotted 928 megawatts of electricity from the shortfall quota. If it overloads then the Regional Coordinating Committee (RCC) in Islamabad shuts down our grid station,” he said.

Nonetheless, the provincial government agreed to press for a formula that takes into account a province’s production capacity as well as its population in determining how much electricity it will be allocated.

Another idea that traders were reluctant to accept was the two-day weekend, compared to the one-day weekend most of them observe now. On this, the provincial government appears to have found some room for compromise, approving the two-day weekend recommendation subject to the condition that it be approved by all other provinces as well so as not to unilaterally compromise the competitiveness of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa businesses.

And far from agreeing to closing retail markets at 8 pm, the traders association wanted to add an extra hour to their working day. On this, they had the support of Senior Minister Bashir Bilour, who said: “Since their businesses had been constant victims of terrorism, the prime minister should allow the businessmen and industrialists of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to lengthen their working hours by one more.”

Yet at the end of the day, both the politicians and the businessmen were reminded by Zafar Iqbal, the provincial energy secretary, how much electricity they need to save. “Working five days a week can save nearly 700 megawatts of electricity and by closing all the markets at 8 pm, 250 megawatt of power will be saved.”

The businessmen were willing to go along with the idea, subject to certain conditions. “We can approve the closure of retail markets by 8 pm if the government can guarantee us uninterrupted power between 8 am and 2 pm,” said one businessman at the meeting.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has some of the worst power outages in the country, averaging eight hours a day in Peshawar and between 14 and 18 hours a day in the rural areas of the province.

JAMRUD: At least six people were killed and three injured when a remote control bomb exploded near a passenger van, in sub-division of Jamrud, Khyber Agency, said officials.

The Assistant Political Agent (APA) Muhammad Jamil told The Express Tribune that the explosion took place in Khakiabad locality. “It was a remote controlled Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which was planted on the road and it exploded when the vehicle drove over it,” said Jamil, while confirming that the casualties.

Eyewitnesses said that the explosion left a crater at the road where the explosion took place. The eyewitnesses, however, said that the number of injured was seven.

An official of the Hayatabad Medical Complex told The Express Tribune that five bodies and seven injured were brought to the hospital.

The officials said that the target of today’s attack was not clear.

The Zakakhel tribe in Jamrud has previously been the target of the militants, many other government-backed private militias in other parts of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) have also been a target of various terrorist groups functional in the area.

PESHAWAR: At least four security personnel and 13 militants were killed in what officials believed was a cross-border attack in the Bayzai sub-division of Mohmand Agency.

A security official confirmed the incident and told The Express Tribune that there were 50 to 60 militants who stormed the check post at around 12:15am on Monday morning.

“The Olai Post in the Khwezai area came under attack,” he said. “Attackers who we believe came from across the border were many, but we repulsed the attack.”

The official confirmed that four security men at the post lost their lives, while thirteen militants were also killed in retaliation.

The Bayzai area is located a few kilometers from Kunar province of Aghanistan. Pakistani authorities believe that a large number of militants have fled to Kunar during operations and have found a safe abode in the mountainous terrain.

In November last year, 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed in a cross-border raid by American Special Forces on a checkpost in Salala, which is also located in Bayzai.

PESHAWAR: Civil society in Peshawar took to the streets on Tuesday to protest against the Difa-e-Pakistan Council, demanding that a ban be imposed and the council be held responsible for the death of three million people.

“Hamid Gul and his partners are responsible for the massacre of three million people, in particular the Pashtuns,” said Idrees Kamal, convener of the Aman Tehreek – a conglomerate body of civil society. Kamal was speaking during a protest organised in the Hashtnagri area of Peshawar.

The Difa-e-Pakistan rally to be held in Peshawar on March 18 has caused a stir in the city.

“Previously the council gathered under the name of Difa-e-Afghanistan and Islam, killing thousands of innocent people. Now they have once against gathered to do so,” said speakers at the protest.

Protestors demanded that Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry should intervene and impose a ban on the rally. They also said that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti should not allow the council to hold a rally in the city.

The protest had been organised despite security threats and was attended by people from all walks of life.

Background

Difa-e-Pakistan Council is a coalition of over 40 religious and political parties that has been vocally demanding the government to keep Nato supply routes closed and withdraw its decision to grant India the status of most-favoured nation.

The first DPC rally was held in Lahore and was organised by Jamatud Dawa (JuD), whose leadership is in charge of coordination and communication between all members of the group. Rallies have also been organised in Karachi and Rawalpindi.

Calling for the Nato supply routes to stay closed, the DPC has several times, in their past rallies, threatened to besiege the parliament in case the government decides to reopen the routes.

PESHAWAR / SHABQADAR: At least one person was killed and six were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up, targeting the vehicle of Pakistan Peoples Party – Sherpao (PPP-S) chief Aftab Sherpao after a rally on Saturday.

The suicide bomber blew himself up close to the vehicle of the PPP-S’s chief Aftab Sherpao who was accompanied by his son Sikandar Hayat Sherpao and MPA Mohammad Ali Mohmand, District Police Officer (DPO) Nisar Marwat said.

“They were returning from Battagram and when they reached Kangra, the bomber pounced on the vehicle, it seems he was hiding in the bushes close to the road,” he added.

Marwat also confirmed that there were two civilians and four police officials who were injured in the blast.

An official of the bomb disposal squad accounted for around six kilograms of explosives and ball bearings, which had been used by the attacker.

Naib Khan, a Tehsil counsellor of the PPP-S told The Express Tribune that he was with the convoy when he saw a man approach the vehicle in which the party’s chief was travelling. “A person, almost 22 years of age, started moving towards the vehicle and exploded himself. There was only a thick layer of smoke after that,” he recounted.

Six of the injured were brought to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) in Peshawar. A police official succumbed to his injuries while being shifted to the hospital. He was identified as Shabbir. Hospital sources added that one of the injured brought in was in a serious condition.

“We were bound for Peshawar, when the bomber, who ran from a thicket of trees, jumped over the vehicle and blew himself up,” said the security officer of the convoy, he had been shifted to the LRH in an injured condition. He told The Express Tribune. Sikandar Sherpao’s hand was injured.

Sherpao had travelled to Charsadda to attend a gathering to celebrate the induction into the PPP-S of cousins to the political secretary of Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti.

This is not the first time that Sherpao or his party workers have been attacked. There have been at least four suicide attacks in as many years, targeting the PPP-S before this.

This is the second attack in less than a week that has targeted a political party in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Earlier, at least five people had killed and 27 others injured when an explosive laden motorbike was detonated close to the venue of an Awami National Party (ANP) public gathering in Nowshera.

PESHAWAR: Ten soldiers and 23 militants were killed in a battle that lasted more than seven hours in Bara, Khyber Agency said security officials.

The security forces that had moved into the area almost a week back had established their posts in the area of Maira Sar, said sources.

The area has been consistently bombarded by helicopter shelling because it is considered to be a stronghold of Lashkar-e-Islam militants “at around 11:00pm last night militants attacked the post,” said a security official. “The battle continued till 5:00am in which ten security personnel were killed and three others were injured.”

While confirming that around 23 militants were also killed in the attack, the official said, “The situation is now stable and all the posts of the law enforcement agencies are intact.”

In a separate incident, two members of the militia battling the militants were killed when a roadside bomb exploded in the Sra Garhi area of Landikotal, said officials.

“The vehicle was destroyed said an official, one militiaman was killed while another was injured and succumbed to his injuries at a hospital,” the officials said.

A water tanker in Akakhel also came under attack from militants, however there were no casulties.

Lashkar-e-Islam, which is led by warlord Mangal Bagh, is said to be linked to Taliban militants and criminal gangs.

It was not possible to independently verify the official account of the incident as access to the area is restricted by the military.

Some 18,000 people fled their homes in Khyber in October last year amid fears of a fresh onslaught of fighting between the army and militants linked to the Pakistani Taliban.

Seven tribal districts near the Afghan border are rife with homegrown insurgents and are strongholds of Taliban and al Qaeda operatives.

Militants have killed more than 4,800 people across Pakistan since July 2007.