Guns and Books – The Students' Herald

Numan Mehsud

The sky touching and beautiful mountains of Ex:FATA have been changed from the draconian culture of guns into the benevolent culture of books. Today I went out taking books in my hands and sit under a tree at the top of a mountain little bit away from my home in Waziristan.The mountains were welcoming me and the birds started singing seeing the books in my hands.This was just as these birds and mountains were intensely waiting since long long ago for this change because before this, they just heard the cries of the people in the anathematic and imposed culture of weapons.

Once there was a time where everyone would have guns in their hands. Even the children were also injected with these dreadful concepts of fighting against one another.There were territorial disputes and our people were used in the name of religion by the authorities,so people were always engaged in fights.The reason for their pessimistic approach was just that there was no education system. The literacy rate was very low.There were black draconian laws which have always violated the basic human rights.

As a child has no vision of a gun and a pen. He doesn’t know that which would be fruitful for him.But as someone said that the state is an example of a mother but we can see that our mother had provided guns to this child and exploited him for her own business.She completely marginalized one of her child and never paid attention to his education.The people without education are just like children and they can be easily used as a toll. Same is the case that our people were uneducated and behaved like a child.The sole responsible for that loophole is the state who had not ensured the responsibility of a mother.

There is about 55 lac population according to the previous consensus but the actual population is approximately 75 lac of the merged areas but it’s regrettable that still there isn’t a single university in the whole region. In NFC award, there was an agreement of every province that they would share 3% of their budget for the tribal areas but we can see that instead of these shares, our own developmental funds have been cut off and were transferred to one of the powerful institutions in the country.

Today when I was doing work on my assignment given by my teacher sitting under the shadow of a tree at the top of a mountain.The only thing I missed repeatedly that was internet access because I was needed material for my assignment but I couldn’t search.I was feeling marginalized from the globalized world of 21Th century. Every single minute, I felt being deprived of my basic right of internet facilities in this progressive and globalized world.

In times of crisis like the Corona pandemic, all the education system has been disturbed and there is disarray among the students. The government has started online classes. It was an appreciable step for continuing our studies but I am asserting that this system is completely inept for the students of Ex:FATA.Because we have no access to the internet in our areas. This is much poignant and embarrassing that after 73 years of independence, the eyes of the people of Ex:FATA are still aloof from the lofty and basic human rights which are mentioned in the constitution.

Today the people of Ex:FATA particularly the youth are persistent to defy and supplant the dreadful culture of guns and to tie a strong bond with the books.I extend my desires enthusiastically to change the fate of these mountains from intimidating.

The epitome of my whole writing is that apart from being deprived by the government, the youth of merged areas are trying to change the culture of weapons into the culture of education as well as into tourism. It’s de-facto that the authorities still want to keep us oppressed and grapple us in a limbo of an illiterate environment. Once again I extend the demands of the youth of merged areas for educational development and particularly the internet facilities with immediate effects.