Today . . .  some of our relatives from Lower Dir arrived to stay with us for as long as things don’t settle down over there. I felt so sorry to see their horrified, gloomy faces. They were braving the situation until now as no one likes to leave his home but yesterday the gunship helicopters hovered quite low over their homes and fired bombs too that scared the hell out of them and they were left with no option but to leave as soon as the curfew was lifted.

The men are still staying back because they can’t abandon the homes for the miscreant loot and plunder and the Taliban either destroy the houses or use them to seek refuge.

I had never imagined that my own home would become a shelter for the refugees.

From what I hear from the local people one thing is clear that they all loathe
Taliban. So all those including Imran Khan who encourage to hold negotiations with Taliban show shortsightedness because Taliban will never compromise on anything.

Although people right now are with military but as Mohsin Hamid pointed out in his recent article that the Pakistan army will have to choose sides soon. This is our military’s last chance to win the hearts of the people in trouble and who have sacrificed their futrue and properties in this war. If the military failed then I am afraid it might lead us to a greater chaos.