 |
| |
WEEKLY
SECTIONS |
 |
|
 |
| ‘All our dreams have been shattered’ |
|
|
|
IDPs come to Karachi hoping to rebuild the shattered fragments of their lives
Friday, May 15, 2009
By Huma Imtiaz
Karachi
At the bus stand in Banaras, Karachi, there is a sense of trepidation and fear etched on the faces of the people standing there, waiting for the buses bringing their relatives from Swat to Karachi.
As three buses roll down the street, the apprehension turns into relief, and simultaneously, a strong sense of urgency. Fearful of harassment from authorities, they quickly haul their relatives into waiting pickup vans, who are still adjusting to the rapid change in environment, sound and weather. Children wearing torn clothes, cry as they sit on flatbed trailers, their handsome faces smeared with grime, their otherwise shiny brown hair matted with dirt, and the sounds of bombs and bullets still echoing in their ears. Fans, rolled up blankets, small silver trunks are offloaded and hurriedly stowed away. Aged women wipe away the sweat off their wrinkled faces, and hide their faces from the unknown men.
Fayyaz Khattak, a bus driver by profession, brought his 17-member strong clan from Swat to Karachi. “We fled with nothing, just the clothes on our backs; some of the children didn’t even have time to put on their shoes. Mortar shells were falling on our house and all around us.”
“My eldest son was supposed to sit for his examinations; he was studying at the technical college in the area. He’s missed his exams now. All our dreams have been shattered”, said Fayyaz, as he tried to juggle his baby daughter in one arm and direct his family to the next mode of transport with his free arm.
A young girl stares from the bus window and smiles, eager to pose for the camera. It is startling how these children still smile in the face of all they have witnessed, scenes far too gory for a child that age.
Parvez, one of the bus drivers who drove a bus full of 70 people, the majority of whom were women and children, said many of the occupants of the bus did not even have the money to purchase a meal during the 24 hour journey.
“The women and men did not have breakfast or lunch. I managed to get some food for the children which they shared amongst themselves. It was terrible.”
Similar scenes were seen at Sohrab Goth, where a bus full of IDPs from Swat was quickly unloaded with their meagre belongings, and ferried off to unknown locations by their relatives. Karam, a goldsmith by profession, said that his business had shut down completely before the military operation began. “We had no electricity or running water. We walked for five days to Malakand before we got on to this bus.”
The men from the north may be known for their bravery, but Karam had tears in his eyes as he recounted all that he has left behind. “We left our homes, our lives. We just took our family and came here.”
Bus drivers at the Benaras bus stand explained that buses filled with IDPs have been arriving since the past few days, each with similar stories.
While their stories may be different, the sense of anxiety for the future for both Fayyaz and Karam are identical. “I don’t know what we’ll do here,” said Karam, “I don’t have any money left.” Fayyaz is slightly more resilient, “We’ll start our lives again. All we have is God now.”
|
|
|
| Back
| Send
this story to Friend | Print
Version |
|
|
|
ISSN 1563-9479 
