KARACHI:
Sports have the power to heal, and that is what squash player Noorena Shams is proving it; not just on the court, but also outside of it.
“It is after 17 years that I am hearing this term, Internally Displaced People (IDPs ), being a child growing up in Balambat Timergara, Dir,” Noorena told The Express Tribune from Peshawar. “I know what they are going through is because I have seen what it means to live through the 2009 operation in Dir.
“I understand that these people will never get the life they had back, they will not get their houses back, nothing will be the same for them. Raising the voice on this is to make people pay attention to the ongoing crisis.”
The international squash player is teaming up with Lal Zaman, who works for the sports for development organization Right to Play, to help the IDPs gathering at the border of her village in Dir, fleeing from the conflict in Bajaur, as the Pakistan Army operation is taking place in Mamund, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
So far, she has distributed aid directly to at least 1600 people, providing essentials such as food and medicines, with around Rs 850,000 collected through her platform.
But her goal is to highlight the plight of the IDPs, who are not only losing their homes because of the Taliban activity and Army operation in Bajaur, but are now fighting for their survival because of the floods wreaking havoc in the KPK too.
“So basically I am trying to help the IDP, who are victims of the conflict in Mamund, area in Bajaur,” explained Noorena.
“Lal Zaman and I are not from Bajaur; of course, we are from Jandhool, Dir. But we have all these people coming to the border of our village, and we must do something about helping them.
“I support the Pakistan Army and the operation is necessary, but there are all these innocent people who are affected in ways many Pakistanis are failing to understand.”
Noorena is coordinating with Lal Zaman, who is on the ground and managing the operations of the relief efforts.
“There are 1600+ people we daily feed who are based in government schools in Qazafi Uthmainkhail Tehsail on borderline of Lower Dir and Bajaur.
“It is food evening and morning. They have been hit with floods and monsoon rains as well. The problem is that aid doesn’t come their way, mostly because of the conflict I believe.
“Other areas, such as Buner, Swat, and around, have teams going there, but perhaps the security situation has scared people off from this side. Until now, we have fed 1600+ people for a week twice a day, and every penny has gone to them. It includes medicines as well. On the ground, I have my village mate Lal Zaman, who works at Right to Play.”
Noorena feels that mostly, the sports community has been mostly effective in spreading the message and highlighting the issue.
“For me, as someone who is coming from a war-torn area, sports became an instrument for me to build my life,” said Noorena.
Photo courtesy: Noorena Shams
Reliving the trauma
Noorena is conscientious about her work and believes that the focus should be on the situation that the IDPs are facing.
She recounted her own experience that connects her to the ongoing crises faced by people in Bajaur
“My house is in Balambat Timergara, right next to Dir Scouts. The place used to fire towards Bajaur, Swat, and Maidan (within in Dir). My own friends told me stories of them leaving their homes in Maidan and climbing hills and mountains to go to the addas to get cars,” she recalled.
“I empathise with the IDPs of Bajaur because I know what it feels like to be in the middle of the conflict.
“In 2009, when the operation began in Dir, I remember we were just so fascinated by all the artillery that was deployed in front of our eyes, and then the fighting between the Pakistan Army and the Talibans.
“My mother had decided that she would stay in our house even though most of the people from our area left their homes and went elsewhere, as she was a widow and her mindset was that it was better to die in our home than to be displaced and mistreated. It was a decision she took, and we as siblings were too young to even understand that we could all die. My mother was very brave; she was so strong in an impossible situation. If she had left our house, we would have been in the same position as the IDPs from Bajaur.
“For nine months, our schools were closed, but at least we had food to eat, we started to grow things on our land, and things were still better than what the IDPs from Bajaur are going through.
“I remember my younger brother, who was four years old back then, only learned how to count beyond 50 because of the explosions we would hear.
“So this cause is very close to my heart; it should be close to the hearts of all the Pakistanis.”
