Things change as time passes by. The south of Waziristan is now nothing like it was before.
"But where are we going?" protested Shireena as her father told her that they had to leave immediately. The children were running around trying to find their clothes while their mothers would tuck them inside the bags. The luggage had less belongings but more hope to carry. Hope was what kept them confident enough to leave their district and share dwelling with some stranger.
Shireena and her family looked once at their house before they turned around and grabbed their luggage. As they came out to the streets, they saw many of their neighbors getting out with varying luggage's heavily resting on their shoulders. The children, unaware of the situation thought that they were accompanying their parents to their relative's house. They played along their way with their friends but they were warned to keep check of their parents and keep pace.
Women covered in veils in the intense heat were walking with their husbands without anything to say. Shireena was playing with her friends, when she finally got tired, she sat on the rock besides the road and noticed the situation.
That had naturally occurred to the little girl.
She sat, keeping the bag at her side, insuring it was safe. She twisted her head in order to see everyone as they continued on their journey.
Shireena saw infants in their mother's arms, some fast asleep while the others protesting to be fed. She saw some young children playing hopscotch along their way, being careful not to get hurt by the stampede of the adults. The young men and women frowned as they carried their belongings. They did carry hope with themselves but the hope had not brightened their faces, instead; they looked rather devastated by the thought of travelling to some other area. She was scanning through the faces of the villagers when she stopped as she saw an old woman, an herbalist she was known as in the village. The elderly herbalist walked as she bended down, forcing the sack in her hand to stagger along the way.
The herbalist was as pretty as a ray of light but her worn out garment and her white hair made her look entirely miserable. She had a sack staggering along the way as she walked. She noticed the woman closely and then saw that the herbalist had no shoes! She was walking with some ragged cloth tied around her feet as protection. The herbalist had tears in her eyes, warm tears being prepared to be rolled down the face of the elderly. Shireena couldn't help but stare at her for the old woman was in such a desperate condition.
Shireena was a child, and at such an age no child can fight the admiration for their belongings but the young girl made a wise decision. She thought twice about it before she took a long a breath and went towards the herbalist. The instant as the herbalist saw Shireena, she smiled and greeted her. Shireena was about to burst out and cry but she had promised herself not to do such a silly act. The herbalist waited for a reply and before she would continue on her journey, Shireena presented her shoes to the lady.
"You can have these. I think these will fit you."
The herbalist silently protested because she did not want to take the shoes from Shireena, for Shireena would then have nothing to wear. She knew that Shireena and her family was as desperate as she herself was while Shireena however made the lady sit, she undid the ragged cloth that the herbalist had tied around her feet. She saw blood stains all over the cloth and the herbalist's feet were badly bruised. Shireena run her fingers gently on the scars of the herbalist's feet making sure she didn't make the lady yelp in pain. She was lost in her thoughts, she imagined how the lady might have tied the cloth, and she could feel the pain that the lady could feel as she took each step. She was lost in her imagination but she didn't want the lady to wait for long. She slid the shoes onto the feet of the lady and they fit perfectly.
The herbalist kissed the girl on the forehead, trying to control her emotions in front of the little angel.
"Thank you child, May Allah and his Angels watch over you!"
Shireena lifted the bag up to her shoulder and nodded in reply. Her heart felt more relaxed and she felt more mature due to the act that she had done minutes ago. Now she had to deal with getting herself a pair of shoes and so she tore her shawl in half and tied the cloth around her feet, making sure that the hard rocks won't hurt them. She Caught pace and continued to travel with the rest of her family. They travelled for more than an hour or two but there was still a lot of area to cover.
They walked and walked, unaware of the time and the distance that they had covered. Shireena saw her sibling come over to her father and ask him for water. "My boy, none of the villagers have even a drop of water to drink. All the water is finished" The boy frowned in disappointment and staggered himself along the road.
"I don't know if this is a punishment or a blessing from Allah." Murmured Shireena's father.
At that time Shireena felt like her and her family's hands were tied like ships, the ships drifted weightless and waves were trying to break it. Huge waves of disappointment were trying to break the hope of their family. "But what can I do to save them?" thought Shireena and she was right. She knew that she was a child and more than that a girl. She knew that her family won't listen to her motivational talk since she was a child and most of all a girl, a gender that was always discouraged in their society. Her hope was gradually also crushed as she would see the miserable faces on both of her sides.
They had reached the city in the next 5 hours at least. Now they had to walk to their camps and Shireena was relieved on the thought of rest, bed and home. She was walking silently without complaining in fact everyone walked without complaining for they had no other option. She almost got hit by a car but she did save herself. The people in the cars had to reach their camps soon and they couldn't help but rush through the crowd. She could have been dead by now but Allah didn't want her dead, not now.
She kept following her parents with the bag in her hand. She once again looked around. This little child had grown mature just by observing so much happening in front of her.
"I think father's hiding something, he doesn't want to tell it to me"
She looked at her feet that had swelled by now. Her feet were bleeding and had bruises here and there. She now felt the same pain that the herbalist had in her eyes, the pain, the fear had frozen Shireena. She then raised her head and stared at the people travelling in cars. A warm tear rolled down her eyes to the thought of that. They couldn't go in a car because they couldn't afford one. She couldn't help her frustration and she went towards her father and asked him:
"We are going to a relative's house?"
"Yes, Shireena we are" he said harshly in a higher and moody tone. Afterwards when he thought Shireena might not be looking at him, he took a long breath, yet not ready to look into Shireena's eyes.
"I got it father. We are going to die, that is why we left the house of ours eh?" She murmured the ironic words and then looked towards the soil that they all had been walking on and tried her very best not to cry. She had the anger and the sadness that she wanted to scream out on everyone.
But she didn't.
"You shouldn't lie. I'll know it anyway" Shireena said as she wiped the tears off her face.
Her father was astonished of what her daughter had just said. He couldn't face her and give her a reply and so he kept cursing himself and everyone who was in such a situation. It was the first time he had noticed that his daughter could do wonders. He got it that his daughter was different, she wasn't ignorant like the other females.
From then onwards on the journey Shireena didn't play like the other kids did, she didn't gossip like the other girls did, but she did weep in loneliness without anyone seeing her. She had this anger and sadness all piled up inside her. She tried to get rid of the pile of emotions but they would build more and more, burdening the poor soul heavily.
"Why is it happening t-t-to us? Why should we su-uffer and the others live happily?" she said hiccupping as she looked to her feet, crying.
Shireena controlling her emotions went back to the camp where her family and some other family were staying. The tent was pretty small and it couldn't hold everyone but no one dared to complain. Her brother had seen the tears slowly forming in her eyes as she ate. She was trembling and getting hotter, with sweat on her forehead.
"What had happened sister? Are you hurt?"
"We all are hurt. We all are cursed. Waziristan was never like it is now."
She fluttered the ironic words and burst out of the tent.
The rest of the people in the tent kept staring at Shireena in amazement. They didn't know that the child had figured out about the situation they were facing in Waziristan. Her mother and father couldn't understand her maturity.
Her father rushed after her daughter with an intention of hitting her for what she said in front of everyone that was said to be rude. He kept searching for her until he saw her near the water pump.
"That was......" He yelled but as he saw the tears In Shireena's eyes his heart softened. Shireena couldn't look into her father's eyes either. She tried her best not to cry but she couldn't help to control her tears. She ran towards her father and hugged him giving a bang to his chest. Her father didn't believe that it was his daughter who was thought to be stupid and ignorant, turned out to be so mature and knowledgeable!
"I know you are in pain, everyone is and I am sorry my child." Sighed her father.
Her calmed her and took her back to the tent. Everyone kept staring at her but she didn't mind the tears being noticed in her eyes. The sorrow had made her forget about her hungriness and so she went to bed without anything to eat for dinner.
The next day was a busy and a hectic day. The displaced people had to go to the Government Office that was opened near the bottom of the mountain. They had to get almost 12,000 rupees for each of their families and some food to eat. Shireena and her father got up early in the morning in order to prepare for the day and try to be the first family standing in the line.
They left at approximately 5 in the morning. They travelled to the mountain side parallel to their camping until they found the office. They were not the only ones standing in the hustled line. Almost 30 families more were also standing in the line for getting their food.
Her father stood in the line waiting for his turn. All the men were standing in the line, pushing and pulling each other. They seemed to have gotten mad due to the intense heat that were standing in.
Almost after 2 hours or so it was Shireena's families turn. Her father stood in the line for the registration to be confirmed and then he was allowed to proceed to collect the ratio of food for his family. He got two sacks of wheat, cooking oil, rice and some other necessities. A broad smile appeared on Shireena's face as she saw the food in her father's hands.
"Here, hold the rice and the oil." Her father told her as he was freeing his hands from the oil and the bag of rice.
For the rest of the mile back towards the camp they spoke nothing to each other. Shireena saw small children playing around in dirty clothes, every single one of them was as playful as a kitten. On the other hand she saw children taking a bath in dirty water of the canal. The water made them dirtier but to beat the heat the playful children had no other alternative. Just as Shireena was about to enter the tent to report her mother of the goods that they had received, she saw her friend back from the village in Waziristan. Without hesitation she ran towards her and greeted her.
"Aslamualaikum! How are you?"
"Well I am good, I was just going to fill this jug with water from the filter." Shireena had figured that out as she had seen the jug in her friend's hand.
"Come, I'll help you fill the rest." Shireena said picking up the remaining two jugs on the floor.
They didn't talk at all on their way to the filter. Both of them seemed to be walking in the awkward silence. Then to break the silence Shireena spoke:
"So did your family get the food?"
"No we haven't yet. The government officers are saying that we are not registered. We will have to go to another office to check if we are registered there."
Then as Shireena was about to reply an army vehicle stopped before them and one of the Soldiers asked Shireena for assistance to the water filter.
"You are on the right track. Just keep going forward and then you'll see the filter. We are going there too."
"Thank you child." The Soldier replied, opening his mouth for a smile. As Shireena and her friend were about to leave another soldier peeped from the vehicle's window:
"You can sit in our car, we can drop you there. Don't worry we won't hurt you we are here to protect you."
Shireena hesitated but then she trusted the fellows and decided to sit in their car while her friend agreed to that too. The ride to the water filter was bumpy but they had reached there in no time.
Shireena and her friend had filled the jugs and then travelled back to their camps on foot. Shireena was pretty tired by the time she had reached to her tent so she slept. She slept on the hard ground but she didn't complain because she just wanted to have some rest.
Shireena was sleeping perfectly dreaming of her house in Waziristan.
"It is wonderful" She said while she was sleeping.
She was enjoying a perfect moment until her mother was shaking her, in an attempt to wake her up. Shireena woke up rubbing her eyes, trying to figure out who woke her up.
"Come and pray Shireena." Her mother said as she tightened the scarf around her face.
"For how long have I been sleeping mother?" Shireena said, still rubbing her eyes, unable to wake herself from the sleep.
"3 Hours at least." She said and then proceeded with her prayers.
Shireena stood up, forcing herself to be wide awake. She did her Wadu and then proceeded with her prayers. She recited her Duhur prayers and then sat to say her dua.
"Ya Allah! Accept my prayers of Duhur. Ya Allah, bless me and my family. Bless all the Muslims around the world. Most of all, help us the people of Waziristan. Help us get to our homeland again. Help us to tackle with the problems going on with us. Bless Waziristan and the people of Waziristan and give them the ability to deal with the problems. Grant us peace like the other cities have around Pakistan for Waziristan is a part of Pakistan! Ameen"
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a/n
Hello everyone! I was 13 when i wrote this so this might not be as perfect as you think although this does describe all my emotions or the Military crisis going on in Waziristan. Please do Vote, comment and add to your liabrary. I need feedbacks on this story so i can maybe edit or write further more. Thankyou!