After the war: Village that resisted the Taliban neglected by govt

Bandai struggled to recover from the double tragedies of the militancy and floods of 2010.

BANDAI/SWAT:

A village that valiantly and steadfastly resisted the oppressive rule of the Taliban in Swat today stands neglected by the government as it struggles to recover from the double tragedies of the militancy and the floods of 2010.

Bandai, a village in Tehsil Khwaza Khela, consists of a little over 1,000 households and is 25 kilometres from Mingora, the largest city in Swat. As the Taliban began their violent campaign against such things as vaccination campaigns and education for girls, the people of Bandai rose up in armed resistance against the militants and paid a stiff price.

“They would come in groups like animals and take away one of us, kill him and then leave his body on the roadside,” said Sher Ali Khan, head of a local community development organisation. “They plundered our orchards and sacked our crops just before harvest.”

At least 53 people were killed and more than 100 were injured in this tiny village. Residents recall that life in the hamlet, one whose gorgeous vistas evoke comparisons to paradise, became a “living hell”. The citizens of Bandai were relieved when the military launched a campaign against the Taliban in Swat, an offensive that made temporary refugees of as many as 2 million people.

The campaign was not without its costs. More than 150 children of the village suffer from physical injuries and mental trauma due to the heavy bombardment, mortar shells and gunship helicopters.

“My two children, a girl and a boy were killed and my house was destroyed when a mortar shell hit our house,” said Azizur Rehman, a farmer from Bandai.

The militancy and the war, however, were not the end of their misery. In July 2010, heavy rains began pouring down the valley, causing massive flooding that washed away the crops that 90 per cent of the village population depended on for its livelihood, and destroyed the only irrigation channel in Bandai.

The combined effects of both war and natural disaster have left the residents exhausted.

“First we were the victims of the Taliban,” said Sher Ali Khan. “Then the floods wreaked havoc by washing away our agricultural land and our irrigation channel.”

The lack of outside assistance also seems to have left them embittered, though the people of the village seem to remain resilient and resourceful.

“We knocked every door, of the government and NGOs, but in vain. Finally, we pooled our own resources together and built a mud-lined irrigation channel,” said Khan.

Half of the village population, however, remains without a steady water supply. Many women have to walk for miles to access potable water. Help, however, finally seems to be on its way, through the Pak-American Foundation, a non-profit organisation run by Pakistani expatriates in the United States, which is channelling its funds through the Sarhad Rural Support Program, one of the largest NGOs operating in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The two NGOs will help provide clean drinking water to the people of Bandai.

“The water supply scheme will not only provide clean drinking water to every house but also release a heavy load from our women who used to bring water from far off springs.” said Jan Room Badshah, a resident of the area.

The help from Pakistani Americans seems welcome in a village that has been through traumas to last them a lifetime.

“I am tired of taking water daily up to my home,” said a small girl shyly. “I am happy that a water tap will be installed at my house.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2011.