Alas, the Peshawar of yore! |
My beloved Peshawar! What was once proudly called the City of Flowers now lives like a city under siege. From time to time, the air reverberates with grim reminders of the age we inhabit: suicide bombings, armed assaults on security installations and sudden lockdowns that paralyse daily life. Not long ago, an attack targeting the Frontier Constabulary headquarters once again jolted the city, followed by reports of militants attempting to force their way in and exchanges of fire. For many, such incidents are shocking. For me, they are painfully familiar.
Having commanded operations in Swat, and later in Mardan, I have lived through such moments more times than I care to remember. I was once myself the target of a suicide attack. My guards embraced martyrdom; I survived by the narrowest of margins, the severed head of the bomber landing before my vehicle. Long before and long after that day, I found myself in fierce engagements with militants. In Swat during 2007-08, death was a daily companion. Even today, despite multiple operations — many of them successful — we continue to live under the choking pressure of terrorism. The cumulative psychological effect of this prolonged violence has been devastating.
While traveling from Hayatabad towards University Road, or Ring Road towards Cantonment, I find every route blocked. Roads........