In death, a Pashtun poet’s message rings a lot louder

Jul 20, 2024 09:14 PM IST

Wazir was attacked in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, on July 6 and succumbed to his wounds three days later. Born in 1994, he grew up near the Durand line in northern Waziristan, a part of the region formerly known as FATA, or the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas. This region was governed by the inhuman British-era law, Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR), between 1901 and 2018. Growing up under the FCR, Wazir’s childhood and teenage life was further affected by the presence of numerous terrorist groups, including the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban and al-Qaida, apart from American drone strikes and the Pakistani army’s brutal military operation, making Waziristan the “most dangerous place in the world.” Life there deprived Wazir of school education after third grade. Yet, he learned about politics, war, terrorism, and injustice firsthand. Beheaded bodies, kidnappings, bombing of villages and towns, and repeated displacement were the bitter experiences of his life. Despite growing up in the shadow of war and terrorism, he became a voice for peace, democracy, and human rights. In an interview, he explained how, growing up, he and others from Waziristan used to be treated as terrorists.

Like many others from his region, Wazir was sent to Bahrain by his family in his early 20s to ensure his safety and to support them financially. While in Bahrain, he used social media to advocate for the PTM and raise funds for their peaceful resistance movement against what they saw as “extrajudicial killing, forced disappearance, and state-sponsored terrorism in the region.” His support for PTM led to his imprisonment and subsequent deportation from Bahrain. Upon being sent to Pakistan as a prisoner, his Pakistani passport was confiscated by the government.

Wazir became a more active member of the PTM thereafter. He participated in every rally and sit-in, reciting his poetry, challenging the Pakistani establishment for its support of terrorists, and urging people to raise their voices for peace. What made him famous among Afghans was his fondness for the shared history of Pashtuns on both sides of the Durand Line, his advocacy for Afghan women’s rights, and his love for the Afghan national flag. He would recite his poetry during rallies and sit-ins, as well as post them on social media–all to have his voice heard. He was strident about the alarming impact of Pakistan’s policies in the tribal areas, the presence of terrorists in the region, and the Taliban’s treatment of Afghans, especially women. His message was clear, and his poetry resonated with the masses, reaching millions across social media platforms.

“God, dismantle your regime, Girls confined, whisper pain,” he wrote. “You barred the doors to girls’ education, May God close Paradise’s doors in retaliation.”

With the Afghan flag in the background, Wazir once recited on social media, “My limerence blooms from love for her so deep, In dreams, I sing of Afghanistan’s keep. You asked who cloaked the Pashtuns’ minds in shade, with whispered breath, I spoke of Mullahs’ blade.”

In another video, he can be seen in Waziristan, where Pakistan had bombarded a Pashtun Jirga led by Ghazi Mirzali Khan, also known as the faqir of Ipi, in 1949. Mentioning the incident, Wazir claims that “Pakistan was founded on shedding Pashtun blood.”

Wazir was repeatedly jailed by the Pakistani army. His latest imprisonment was between July 2023 and February 2024. He endured six months of torture before being released. “They would torture me and ask me why you call yourself Afghan,” Wazir told the media upon release.

After the news of the attack on Wazir spread, Afghans from all social classes and across the globe — especially Pashtuns —including former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, Ashraf Ghani, and vice president Amrullah Saleh expressed grief and concern. It was the first time that Afghan politicians, athletes, artists, religious figures, army personnel, men, and women came together to honour the political struggle of a young Pashtun non-violence activist.

The news of Wazir’s death prompted a strong show of solidarity to honour his work and life. Many people across Pashtun lands mobilised to stand against state-sponsored terrorism. From Islamabad to Peshawar and all the way to Waziristan, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to pay their respects while Wazir’s hearse drove past, chanting “Yeh jo dehshatgardi hai, iske peeche wardi hai” (Those in uniform are behind terrorism).

Wazir, the youngest among nine siblings, left his young wife and five children behind. He was buried in his village, his coffin covered in the Afghan tricolour as per his will. Tens of thousands participated in his funeral, and his mother was the only person who told Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen, the leader of PTM, “Stay strong. Onward, I will accompany you myself.”

Baitullah Hameedi is a New York-based scholar and former lecturer at Kabul University.The views expressed are personal