Silence and sacrifice

On a cold, windy day in December 2009, a school building in the isolated Malakand region of northwestern NWFP (today renamed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) was being guarded round-the-clock by soldiers. All civilians were kept at bay, with entry to what was now a high-security zone only possible with permission from the top military commanders, camping not far away. 'Dangerous kids', including 'suicide bombers', were said to be undergoing rehabilitation in the school building, following their capture during and after Operation Rah-e-Rast ('Right path'). That military action had been launched the previous May to take back control of the Swat Valley from a faction of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) led by Maulana Fazlullah, the 'Radio Mullah'.

Inside, the kids had been divided into two groups, separating the hardened elements from those whose return to normal life would likely come more quickly. The building housed teenagers from 13 to 18 years – all male, though girls have been used by the TTP and other organisations for suicide missions from time to time, including in the attack in Peshawar of 11 August. The indoctrination of these children was clearly evident in the rage in their eyes; for this reporter, it was nerve-wracking just to stand in front of them. The first 14-month 'deradicalisation' course was the first of its kind in Pakistan, and the course continues today, with new entrants.