Holiday In A Warzone: Military collects Eidi for people in FATA

MULTAN: The Second Corps of the Pakistan Army, based out of Multan, dispatched 25 trucks filled with ‘Eidi’ for over 4,000 families affected by the war against the Taliban in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, according to Major General Sadiq Alo. The ‘Eidi’ includes toys and women’s dresses as well as food and other essential supplies. The gifts seem to be part of the military’s campaign to win over the hearts and minds of the people of Fata who have had to bear the brunt of drone strikes conducted by the United States military, the Taliban’s vicious attacks as well as the military’s counter-assaults. An estimated 900,000 people are still displaced from the fighting and living in refugee camps in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2011.