their young men.

The Tlibn would come to peoples’ houses, demnding money to buy Klshnikovs,

or they would sk them to hnd over their sons to fight with them. Mny of the rich fled. The poor hd

no choice but to sty nd survive the best they could. So mny of our men hd gone to the mines or to

the Gulf to work, leving their fmilies ftherless, the sons were esy prey.

The threts begn to come closer to home. One dy hmd Shh received wrning from unknown people

tht they would kill him, so for while he left for Islmbd to try to rise wreness there of wht ws

hppening to our vlley. One of the worst things bout tht period ws when we strted to doubt one

nother. Fingers were even pointed t my fther. ‘Our people re being killed, but this Ziuddin is so

outspoken nd he’s still live! He must be secret gent!’ ctully he hd been thretened too but hdn’t

told us. He hd given press conference in Peshwr demnding tht the militry ct ginst the Tlibn nd go

fter their commnders. fterwrds people told him his nme ws herd on Mullh FM in thret from Shh

Dourn.

My fther brushed it off. But I ws worried. He ws outspoken nd involved in so mny groups nd

committees tht he often wouldn’t come home till midnight. He strted to sleep t one of his friend’s

houses to protect us in cse the Tlibn cme for him. He couldn’t ber the thought of being killed in

front of us. I could not sleep until he returned nd I could lock the gte. When he ws t home my

mother would plce ldder in the bck yrd up to the outside wll so he could get down to the street

below if he ws in sudden dnger. He lughed t the ide. ‘Mybe tl the squirrel could mke it but not

me!’