Da Torkham de [FridayTimes]
"Da Torkham de, da Torkham de, dalta har qadam nakaam de." Khyber Afridi's beautiful ghazal carries the melancholy and helplessness of the people of FATA. "This is Torkham, this is Torkham, where there is suffering at every step."
Around 70 people, some young and some young at heart, had gathered in a hujra in Landi Kotal to hear Zarmash Khan sing the poetry in a performance known locally as mailas. Each one of them had seen suffering. Each one of them had a story. The only difference was in the extent of the pain they had experienced.
Zarmash Khan Shinwari, a father of four in his late 40s, plays Banjo, which is very rare in this part of the world. He was picked up by the Taliban in 2009 and imprisoned for five days.
"What did they want from you?" I asked. With his typical tribal inhibition, the soft-spoken musician said they told him they would cut his head off if he didn't join their jihad. "We do not believe in violence," he said. "We are the followers of Hamza Shinwari Baba." Hamza Shinwari's tomb was about 10 meters away.
The poetry Zarmash Khan sang was full of self-reflection, inclusiveness, vulnerability and complaints. He sang about 50 ghazals from memory.
Like all other tribal areas, militancy has changed the demographics of Khyber Agency. The Afridis are the largest tribe in the Khyber Agency.
A third of the Shinwari tribe is settled in and around Landi Kotal, and the rest are concentrated in Jalalabad and Parwan provinces of Afghanistan. Shinwaris are mostly traders and businessmen. That shapes the individuality of the Shinwari man. They are fond of scrumptious food, fine music and unconditional peace.
"Shinwari traders were killed by the Taliban for supplying goods to NATO"
Nasir Khan, a tall and well-built Shinwari Malik whose sub-tribe holds control on the main road that leads to Afghanistan, sounded depressed. Sitting in his hujra lawn on a cold January evening, he told me only 10 percent of the Maliks still lived in the agency. The rest have moved to Peshawar, Lahore and other towns. Those who do not leave have to "buy peace", he said. They pay money to the Taliban.
The emigration of the Maliks - traditional tribal leaders - created a void in the tribal society. The whole community was de-linked. "Shinwaris are peaceful people. They have nothing to do with militancy," he said. "Their energies are focused on their businesses, music and food. There is a saying: 'Afridis die of bullets, Shinwaris die of heart attacks'." The second clause is a reference to their dietary habits, he explained.
The Shinwari tribe must have benefited a lot from the NATO supplies via Torkham, I asked. "No," he said. "In fact, a large number of Shinwari traders were killed by the Taliban for supplying goods to NATO forces in Afghanistan." Shinwaris had always focused on finding business in Afghanistan. 9/11 changed the game. "Now, we look towards Peshawar for business."
Officials in the political administration and the Customs department say they are powerless. (Their names are withheld here because they are not authorized to talk to reporters.) "If we say we do not pay money to the Taliban for our security and to make sure we keep operating, it would be a big lie," a senior officer in the political administration told me in Landi Kotal.
The poetry was full of self-reflection, inclusiveness, vulnerability and complaints.
A military colonel recently closed the border over what the official believes was a minor issue. The political administration was upset. "You know these people on both sides of the border belong to the same tribe. Closing the border hurts them, and if you keep hurting them, it will be tantamount to strengthening the militants." There was desperation in his voice.
"It has been more than six years since this very important road connecting Afghanistan with Pakistan has been repaired," a Customs official said in Peshawar. He said he could build the road in three months if he were in charge.
I was visiting Khyber Agency to see how militancy had impacted the lifestyle of the Shinwari tribe. And although it cannot be reversed, the suffering of the people of Khyber Agency may be lessened if that road is rebuilt.
Kahar Zalmay is a writer and journalist based in Islamabad