‘Who will bring back my son’

Some 23 teenage boys jumped into the flooded Swat River to collect firewood, but were caught up in the surging water.

SWAT: Flooding in the Swat River turns out to be a boon for people living in villages situated on its banks. But not this time around.

Bar Durush Khela is one such a picturesque village in the Matta sub-division of Swat. Whenever the river is in flood, it carries with it vital firewood for the people of this village. But this time around it brought death and destruction. Some 23 teenage boys from the village jumped into the flooded Swat River to collect firewood, but were caught up in the surging water. For two days and one night they battled the roaring water as their families watched them helplessly from the bank. Finally they gave up the battle, exhausted.

Shah Zaman Khan, aged 19, was also among those youths. “It was raining heavily and I was lying in the bed. A young man came in and told me about my son, I got up and rushed to the river and saw my son in the trees with other boys,” Khan’s father told The Express Tribune on Friday.

“They were crying for help but we could do nothing. His mother also came running to the site, crying and wailing but we were helpless. We asked the army, local authorities and village elders for help, but in vain,” Hayat Khan added trying to choke back his tears.

He said that for two days and one night the teenagers fought the mighty waves. “We kept watching our children helplessly. And then they lost the battle and floodwater swept them away, right in front of our eyes,” Khan said breaking down in tears.

Eight boys survived and they were found unconscious in different villages. Nine were found dead, while there is no word about the remaining six, Khan said.

“He was a BA student, and we are still waiting for him to return home,” Khan said of his son.

“His mother is lying unconscious ever since he was swept away. We are giving her tranquilisers because whenever she regains consciousness she cries profusely and calls her son,” he added.

Khan is a poor farmer, who lost everything in the deluge, his home, his farmland, everything. However, he says for him the loss of his son is irreparable. “Everything will come back but who will bring back my son,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2010.