In Wana, a violence-torn southern part of Waziristan (Ex-FATA), now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, FAK (terrorist faction) is facing a timely uprising against it. Notorious for its cruelty, this group has recently made its threat: parents should withdraw their children from schools, and officials should close any educational institution. Community, in turn, has acted collectively against the bully stance, stressing education, development, and what Islam means to them.
FAK attacks on schools, children, and infrastructure critical to the welfare of the people make their devastating policy clear, which is aimed at disrupting the social life of the people. Education, which is viewed as the root to a brighter future, since it empowers the citizenry, promotes a thinking mind, and questions their ill and narrow violent ideology.
FAK is not only resorting to violence by targeting schools. In fact, it is conducting an assault on the future of the children and is attempting to undermine the community’s dreams of a peaceful and prosperous society.
FAK enjoyed power by use of intimidation and fear, and opposition was repressed through terrorizing the region in the past. The winds are turning however, the local people fighting against the threats by FAK is strong evidence of their newly found cohesion and consciousness. The people of Wana ex-FATA are refuting fear, asserting the rights to education of their children, and upholding their beliefs in the Islamic values that enhance peace, justice, and the well-being of the orphaned and the helpless.
By so doing, they have revealed the real face of FAK as an organization whose members feel that they are inimical to progressive development but also to Islam itself.
What FAK has done is not merely the abuse of the laws of Pakistan it is also an abuse of Islamic teachings. Islam attaches a lot of importance to the need for knowledge, education, and safeguarding and preserving innocent life. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) lobbied everyone to seek knowledge, irrespective of possession of gender, and peace and justice were two major pillars. The violence initiated by FAK, the attacks on children, and educational institutions, show that they are not in line with these values whatsoever. Their methods of violence are a betrayal of Crescent Teachings, and to this, they are criminals disguised as religious warriors. This hypocrisy becomes real with the help of local people, since they oppose such extremist ideas, which are destructive to society and Islam.
Their needless attacks on education and children are an insult to fundamental human rights. Education is not only a constitutional right in Pakistan, but it is a human right as far as international law is concerned. The key ethical principles of society are violated because FAK threatens schools and children. Terrorism, being the aim of destabilizing the community, remains an abuse of all moral compass, including the tenets of Islam. Making education a vehicle to a better future, the act of FAK to contact education is only an indication that these people are afraid of an informed, enlightened society that can withstand their ideology.
The anti-Islamic acts of FAK should be addressed. The people of Wana have already demonstrated their will in refusing the efforts of the FAK to destroy the future of the people of Wana. This opposition, however, should be reinforced and augmented by the larger international community.
The international society needs to unite in the pursuit to reveal the real agenda of FAK, a ruinous ideology that aims at the continued propagation of fear, ignorance, and violence.
The local opposition to FAK is not a mere struggle to obtain education but also to gain the heart of the territory. In these regards, education is a source of resistance to extremism. It is the non-submission of the community under the influence of terror and the faith they have in the strength of knowledge to enlighten and change the community. With the commemoration of the people of Wana, they are safeguarding their children, ensuring that the next generation has the potential to create a future without fear or violence. What their stand represents is simply that they will not be dictated by FAK on what to do or not to do concerning their future.
In addition, the offence to education and the child by FAK is evidence of a deeper fear of progress. Extremist cells such as the FAK flourish in an ignorance and fear where critical thought processes are resisted, and development is crushed. By targeting schools, they are trying to hold onto society, keeping them in the dark and susceptible to propaganda. The opposition to this in Wana, however, can be seen as a representation of how the society wants to get out of these shackles. The people of Wana are demonstrating that they are not going to be short-changed by FAK of their future. They prefer to be enlightened rather than ignorant, peaceful rather than violent, as well as just rather than oppressed.
The Pakistani state comes out strongly to prosecute FAK so that the violent agenda can be defeated. It is not only a military matter it is also an ethical responsibility to preserve the rights of innocent citizens, abide by the constitutional rights, and not deny the future generation their future opportunities and possibilities promised by education. The citizens of Wana have already shown their determination and authority now, the state should assist them in order to ensure their safety and liberation.
The opposition to the violence in Wana is far more than that of an opposition to FAK violence. It is a fight over the future, the values of Islam, and the right of children to live in a peaceful, educated society. The world community should also understand that FAK is no longer a purely localized menace and that it should offer all the support needed by the people of Wana so that they can have a better and brighter future. Only by coming together can we make sure that the cancerous influence of the organization we call FAK is stopped and that education is used to sustain the beacon of hope and gain a better future for future generations.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are exclusively those of the author and do not reflect the official stance, policies, or perspectives of the Platform.
