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Khyber's Shinwaris, Afridis feel 'humiliated' by LI
 Khyber Agency's Shinwari and Afridi tribesmen say they are abused and humiliated by Lashkar-e-Islam (LI), a private militia, which has taken it upon itself to 'preserve tribal traditions and Islamic values'. "I feel disgraced and humiliated at the way the LI men treat us at checkposts," a tribal elder who migrated to Peshawar from Khyber following the emergence of the private militia and the Taliban in the area told Daily Times.Mobile phones with musical ring tones or images will be confiscated, a fine of Rs 500 will be imposed on owners of cars playing music and anyone not wearing the local cap will have to pay a Rs 100 fine to the LI vigilantes on the main Torkham highway, tribal sources said. "The Shinwaris and Afridis have never been disgraced and humiliated in this manner. Sometimes I think we, the proud people of Khyber, are so weak that we cannot face this bunch of What pains the Shinwaris and Afridis most is the vigilantes swearing at them in women's presence. A retired bureaucrat who served in the Tribal Areas as a political agent said a tribesman would prefer death to being called 'shameless' in front of his family's women. "A tribesman takes pride in being [a] male and when someone dishonours him in front of women, it is like you are stripping him of that pride," the bureaucrat said. So what'd you do to stop it, Mr. Fierce Tribesman, Never Been Conquered? "We have stopped travelling between Landikotal and Peshawar to avoid this humiliation," said a tribal trader. "And at night we sleep under our beds in case they come for us." The LI vigilantes are using an abandoned Frontier Corps checkpost on the highway linking Pakistan with Afghanistan. The LI's manifesto outlines the group's campaign for preserving the tribal traditions and Islamic values and declaring war on criminals, mostly kidnappers and car thieves. LI chief Mangal Bagh occasionally uses media for publicity when his vigilantes recover a kidnapped person. Besides witnessing the rise of the private militia recently, Khyber is also becoming known for the presence of Taliban with strong allegiance to the country's most-wanted Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud. The Taliban are expanding their sway in the area providing a strategic supply route for NATO and US forces in Afghanistan. A tribal teacher in Landikotal said the youth were being 'extremely affected' by what he called 'patronised phenomena'. He said, "Earlier, my sons used to ask questions to increase their knowledge. Today, they ask me who is stronger between the LI and Baitullah Mehsud." Trying to figure which way to jump, huh? Y'got the devil on one side, the deep blue sea on the other. "Another thing I notice now is that children play with sandbags, tearing them apart to mimic a suicide attack. You see what trends are influencing the youth now," the teacher said declining identity. "We are headed towards complete destruction unless we do something to stop what is happening in Khyber today," he added. "Oh, yasss. Somebody should do something." Posted by: Fred 2008-12-14 |
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