Teeth Maestro

Tag: Swat

  • US official, Resigns in Protest questioning the American agenda in Afghanistan (& Pakistan)

    Matthew Hoh, A former Marine Corps captain stationed in the Zabul province in Afghanistan tendered his resignation to the US Ambassador Nancy Powel, becoming the first U.S. official known to resign in protest over the Afghan war, which he had come to believe simply fueled the insurgency. “I have lost understanding of and confidence in…

  • David Rohde’s Insights Into What Motivates the Taliban: Held by the Taliban

    David Rohde writes about the seven months he was held hostage by a group of extremist Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan and conveys this observation about what motivates them: My captors harbored many delusions about Westerners. But I also saw how some of the consequences of Washington’s antiterrorism policies had galvanized the Taliban. Commanders fixated…

  • Imran Khan discusses the “War of Terror” & “Pakistani Taliban”

    Imran Khan presents a very logical perspective as to why this Army offensive does not necessarily mean an end to this war on terror. Collateral Damage which leaves more civilians dead in its wake will most definitely create more enemies then good. Credit: The Critic Magazine

  • Peoples Resistance: Protest against Army Brutality

    Location: Karachi Press Club Date: Tuesday 7th October, 2009 Time: 5:00 PM The People’s Resistance strongly condemns the Army brutality captured on video recently as illegal and despicable behaviour on the basis of violation of the understanding of our human rights and our laws. In no sense can this strong condemnation be understood as support…

  • Video on Human Rights Abuses by Pakistan Army leads to Censorship

    For the past few days a specific gut wrenching video has been making its way around the Pakistani web-sphere which shows a Pakistani Army Major conducting an interrogation of two people suspected of harboring Talibans. During the Question and Answer session the Major steps back and orders his crew to ruthlessly beat the person punching,…

  • Return to Jalala – IDP Situation Update

    After returning from a relief distribution to Mardan in May 2009, I regularly followed up with events concerning the IDPs in N.W.F.P. Regardless of the numerous analyses (and conspiracy theories) emerging in the public discourse about the war and its affects, the priority for me remained in providing assistance to displaced families. I tried to…

  • Becoming an IDP – Real life experience of two females from Swat

    Foize Nasim interviewed Saira, a 20 years old girl from Mingora, Swat at a training centre set up by PPAF at Jalala Camp. Saira has 7 sisters and 3 brothers. 3 of her sisters are married, two of whom were living at Jalala with their families. One sister, Farhat was missing with her husband, who…

  • Returning Home – An Interview with an IDP

    Married with 2 kids, Burhan Din is 28 years old and belongs to Amankot in Mingora, Swat. He is pursuing an M. Phil. in Anthropology from Peshawar University. He had been working for a trust called Muslim Aid in Mingora as a hygiene promotion officer for one year before he was forced to leave his…

  • The Hoodlumism of Army Officers and the Blatant Lack of Accountability

    Recently Mr Ali Anan Qamar, an Assistant Coordination Officer and in-charge of Sheikh Yasin camp was beaten up and publicly humiliated by two officers of Pakistan Army, Maj. Asad Jamal and Lt. Haider marwat of 32nd Cavalry on 8th July 2009. Mr Qamar is a very well educated official of the government and we fear…

  • A Swati Doctor Interviewed about the War in Swat

    A few members of the Peoples Resistance group visited Banares Colony in Karachi, Pakistan and interviewed an IDP refugee Doctor from Swat who shares his thoughts. I would also like to quote a short section from the email by Abira Ashfaq which had accompanied this video It seems like one can always accuse people who…

  • Foreign Policy ranks Pakistan as the 10th Most Failed State

    Nothing to be proud off but in a survey conducted by Foreign Policy Magazine where they evaluated 177 countries across the world Pakistan was ranked as the 10th most failed state where Somalia was ranked as the most failed state followed by Zimbabwe, Sudan, Chad, Congo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Guniea and then Pakistan…

  • Wired and Active discusses the IDP Campaign

  • The displaced vs the well placed people of Pakistan

    “The twins were born as the mother desperately struggled with the pangs of pain, the sound of falling artillery shells, the suffocation of gun powder and the stench of decaying dead bodies. By the time it was morning, the family realized that one of the two babies, had not survived the ordeal of childbirth. The…

  • Report on the IDP situation

    Report by Wali Haider from ROOTS Talking to the displaced people in various IDP camps, or in the homes of friends/relatives during my recent visit to Takht Bhai and Charsadda they have taken refuge it is obvious that for them the objectives of the army operation remain unclear. At the same time their suffering as…

  • The women who walked – and walked

    This is an abridged version that was published on 4th June in The News extracted from a recent report by AIRRA (Aryana Institute for Regional Research and Advocacy) based in Peshawar, whose members traveled to the IDP camps for these interviews. We write here some of the stories the women of Swat told us. They…