Unending misery: Three years on, Zeenat still awaits compensation for her treatment

The 28-year-old woman is struggling to walk on her own.

SWAT: It has been almost three years since the Swat Valley witnessed terrible acts of violence at the hands of militants, but Zeenat is still struggling to walk by herself.

The 28-year-old woman, a mother of four, was hit by a mortal shell while she was moving to a safe place with her family during the insurgency. One of her legs was severely injured by the attack and three years down the road, she is still unable to walk on her own.

“We were asked to leave the village so I, along with my family and other villagers, was leaving when a mortar shell hit our caravan, killing one of our relatives and injuring me and my family members,” Zeenat told The Express Tribune. Being a mother of four, she is passing through constant torment. “I got treatment for three years but I still cannot walk without crutches. I am suffering from constant pain in my leg and it is hard for me to conduct household work. You can’t understand my pain and my agony,” she said.

She also said that her treatment has been stopped due to shortage of funds. “The government has announced compensation for all those injured during the militancy but I have not received anything, due to which I cannot pay for my treatment.”

Zeenat’s brother, Sher Ali Khan, said, “It was early in the morning when the shell hit us, injuring four people from our family besides killing my nephew. We had hardly covered one kilometre from our village and we didn’t know what to do as a curfew had been imposed. So we took them to Tamergana Hospital in Dir, from where we were referred to Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.”

He added, “We can’t afford to continue her treatment as we don’t have any more money. It is not easy for a poor family to pay for four peoples’ treatment.”

According to Khan, they have spent over one million rupees on medical expenses so far but none of their relatives have completely recovered.

“Now it is the responsibility of the state to come forward and help us. We have rendered great sacrifices in this war and they can’t leave us alone like this.”

Zeenat’s case narrates the story of thousands of those whose lives have been ruined due to the insurgency. The majority of them complain that they have not been given any compensation from the government.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th,  2011.