Tweet
Badal-The thirst for Vengeance
My First Writing Project
I began writing Badal in early 2010. Since then the project has matured into an interesting book that covers areas such as Swat, Lower Dir, South Waziristan, Peshawar, Mingora, Saidu Sharif, Matta, Timergara & Ladha. Almost all of these regions have been in the news for something negative in the past years in Pakistan's turbulent history but my book also explores the background. How the militants came, the corruption and nepotism prevalent, the utter failure of the bureaucracy which allowed the militants to gain a hold. The book also gives another angle to the struggle in Pakistan. It shows Pashtuns as the victims rather than as the primary supporters of the Taliban.
Other than focusing on just the Taliban and their militancy Badal ventures towards the stories of Pashtun civilians caught in between. Journalists, dancing girls, unemployed youth forced to join the Taliban out of pure poverty, victims of drone strikes, disenchanted youth frustrated with the centers policies are all included within this book.
Though it begun as a simple project with modest ambitions I soon found out Badal was the first piece of fiction by any Pakistani Writer on Pakistan's rugged and inhospitable North-Western Regions where a Taliban insurgency is in full swing. This further spurred me to aim at a larger audience and try to take it Global.
My purpose for writing Badal is to make people understand the difficulties Pakistan faces in the War on Terror so that the country can be given enough space to fight its war in its own way. My second purpose for writing the book is to make people understand the difficulty Pashtuns are going through and present their deprivation and grievances.
Badal is set to launch in at least 4 months though there may be inevitable delays
Badal Synopsis
Will the endless cycle of violence continue or will it end to bring peace to the people of North-West Pakistan?
Read ‘Badal’ to find out...
Will the endless cycle of violence continue or will it end to bring peace to the people of North-West Pakistan?
Read ‘Badal’ to find out...
Badal is a fiction novel based in the rugged and inhospitable regions of Pakistan’s North-West where an insurgency rages unabated. It is about a real situation and real events.
The word ‘Badal’ means revenge in the Pashto language. The Pashtun ethnic group spans Southern Afghanistan and Western Pakistan. They are hardy folk accustomed to a tough life. According to Pashtun culture a Pashtun man is entitled to take revenge for a perceived wrong-doing against him or his family. As a result blood-feuds that last generations are all too common in the region.
When War and insurgency rages across a land many lives are overturned and livelihoods are destroyed. But in a region where revenge is a part of the peoples traditions the problems are magnified and the insurgency becomes a rallying cry for a cycle of endless atrocities.
The main characters of Badal are Captain Raza, a Captain in the Pakistan Army struggling with thoughts of revenge after his best friend is killed by militants and Hammad whose family is killed in a drone strike after which he joins the militancy for retribution though the novel also focuses on the side stories of many other men and women whose lives have been altered by the militancy.
The novel focuses on 2 main regions in Pakistan, Swat where one group of militants are vying for control with the army and South Waziristan where another group rules. It explores the culture of the people and how lives have changed since the insurgency. It explores the limited choices the people in these regions have and how the Taliban have used these limited options to recruit and use the people for their own benefits. In this Badal is not just a fiction novel. It is a bisection of the challenges Pashtuns face in the War on Terror.
Badal Excerpt
Chapter 15-Livelihoods destroyed
Ladha, South Waziristan: 22, April, 2008
Ladha, South Waziristan: 22, April, 2008
Hammad moved along the much traveled dirt path of his village. He stepped over the rocky terrain like a professional climber. He evaded the plant undergrowth and thorny bushes despite the growing darkness and setting sun with skill and practice.
The dirt path was difficult to navigate in the day, yet in semi-darkness it was nearly impossible. However Hammad had learned to recognize local terrain features and navigated his way by remembering them. An outcropping of rock reminded him he had to take a right to keep up with the path. His entrance upon a grassy field reminded him he had to venture up a minor hillock to find the path again. A Fir tree almost in the middle of the path reminded him the path would criss-cross along the trees and he should be ready for some sharp turns to keep up with it. Hammad navigated the path like an expert.
The sun was setting and Hammad knew it would be a brilliant sight from the hillock close to the abandoned British recruitment center which he passed daily to reach his fields in the morning. He loved looking down on the beauty of his home village from the hillock during dawn and dusk. It always made him feel proud. However he would have to avoid the urge to venture up the section of the path and stare at the setting sun. Plus he was too angry with himself to give himself that satisfaction.
Hammad sometimes got frustrated when his father did not scold him for the mistakes he made. It was just not right for him to get away this easily with what he had done. In frustration he kicked at a pebble. It bounced away along the path and disappeared under some long grass along the side.
He finally reached a part of the path where it divided into two sections. One led to another part of the village, the other led to deep woodland. He followed the section of the path that led to the woodland. They always collected firewood from that particular section of the forest because it was dense with seasoned Eucalyptus trees. Hammad was sure his father had already done half the work. They usually chopped down the tree in the morning and neatly stacked up the assorted logs in rows at the edge of the forest near the path. They then went back to the area and collected the firewood later in the day when they were done with seeing to their crops. He only had to collect the firewood.
Hammad had nearly reached the edge of the forest when he thought he heard a low humming sound. He stopped walking along the path and stood absolutely still to concentrate a little better. He listened a little more closely. Yes there was indeed a buzzing sound but he immediately found himself frightful because he had heard nothing like it before.
Then out of pure chance he took a look at the sky. He did not know what urged him to look upwards. Through the fading light of the sinking sun he could see there was a white winged object moving along the clouds, disappearing within them only to reappear again. He caught only a glimpse of it and realization dawned on him. It was one of the drones rumored to be butchering innocent civilians in Waziristan.
Only a few moments passed from the moment he had seen the drone when there was a deafening explosion and the ground rumbled as if some great underground beast had just woken from its slumber. The force of the explosion and the violent shaking of the ground that lasted barely five seconds caused Hammad to fall to the floor, injuring his knee.
Author's Website
The author has setup a website and is looking for feedback from users. Havi Z Sultan is the author of over 30 articles. He has written for the Pakistan Nationalist Association and Pakium before though he has taken other lighter writing projects on the sidelines as well. In the past Havi has been a leader for a remote chapter of the Pakistan Nationalist Association as well, a rich experience which has given him the chance to think of things critically. He is also actively working for the rights of Pashtuns and Balochs.
To gain more information about the Author, his book Badal, or to read exclusive excerpts from the book visit:
http://www.havisultan.com
.
Comment