Arguably one the best obituaries of a brave son of the soil.
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Brave Bilour
Rahimullah Yusufzai
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Bashir Ahmad Bilour was such an important target for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) that its members reportedly celebrated his assassination. It shouldn’t come as a surprise as he spoke against them almost on a daily basis and played an inspiring role in raising the morale of all those under attack by the militants.
So committed was the TTP to eliminate Bilour that it sent several suicide bombers to get him. Two bombers in previous attacks in Peshawar killed many but were unable to kill him. Finally, the third bomber succeeded in killing Bilour along with eight other people, including his trusted secretary Noor Mohammad and SHO Abdul Sattar Khattak. Sacrificing three suicide bombers just to get Bilour was the price the TTP was willing to pay to eliminate one of its fiercest critics.
The 69-year old Bilour was one of the two Pakistani politicians who stood out in the fight against the militants. While others avoided overly antagonising the TTP and its allies, he and his fellow party and cabinet colleague Mian Iftikhar Hussain openly challenged the militants. They would visit the sites of terrorist attacks, hospitals to meet the injured and offer condolences and support to the bereaved families in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata. This involved huge risks and at times put extra burden on the security personnel and doctors desperate to save lives, but Bilour’s and Mian Iftkhar’s courageous stance inspired their supporters and helped mobilise those at the frontlines of the war against militancy.
Mian Iftikhar, fluent in speech and emotional in his expression, is now practically alone in his familiar role as the most vocal critic of the militants in this most dangerous battle. There are others too, but they are circumspect as everyone realises that challenging the TTP is like signing one’s death warrants. In Mian Iftikhar’s case, the threats are even more ominous as the TTP has already assassinated his only son, Mian Rashid Hussain, and has come close to getting him as well.
The fact that both Bilour and Mian Iftikhar belonged to the Awami National Party (ANP) explains the risks the nationalist party faces after having taken on the TTP. Its leaders are claiming to have lost more than 600 party activists, including two provincial assembly members Alamzeb Khan and Shamsher Ali Khan. The party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan has survived a suicide bombing and so has the provincial president Afrasiab Khattak.
Concern is being expressed regarding the increased risk that the ANP leaders and candidates will be facing when the election campaign gets underway. The party faced an almost similar situation during the 2008 election campaign. But the threat is bigger this time, as the ANP-led provincial government has earned the ire of the TTP by backing the military operations against it in Swat, the Malakand division and also in the tribal areas. The ANP and the TTP are now involved in an escalating blood feud and those aware of the Pakhtun character would know that taking revenge is an obsession that stays with them all their life.
Bilour fought long and hard, as he braved threats and survived attacks. He had two close calls during the earlier attempts on his life, but he refused to be cowed down or restrict his activities. His end came on December 22, 2012 in the congested streets of Dhaki Naalbandi off Peshawar’s Qissa Khwani bazaar. Bilour was killed in the same place where 82 years ago on in April 23, 1930, around 400 unarmed freedom fighters were martyred while protesting against the British colonial rule.
The attack on Bilour took place in the limits of the Khan Raziq Shaheed Police Station, named after a brave policeman who lost his life along with his senior colleague Malik Saad in a previous suicide attack in the area. Now Bashir Bilour’s name has been added to the long list of martyrs, who laid down their lives for a cause. For many this area has indeed become a hallowed place.
The writer is resident editor of The News in Peshawar. Email:
rahimyusufzai@yahoo.com
Brave Bilour - Rahimullah Yusufzai
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Regret to admit that militants appear to be winning because of the bigotry prevalent in the polity.
