What Do You Think When You See This Picture?

Posted on July 9, 2009
Filed Under >Adil Najam, Disasters, Society
19 Comments
Total Views: 33908

Adil Najam

This is a beautiful photograph. But the circumstances in which the picture was taken are sad.

The original caption reads:

A young Pakistani boy internally displaced walks across a bridge separating the camp at the Yar Hussain UNHCR camp in Chota Lahore on July 6, 2009 in Swabi district, Pakistan. Approximately 3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been created as a result of an on-going military operation against the Taliban. Pakistani forces are battling militants in the Swat valley, Lower Dir and Buner. New camps are sprouting up while others continue to grow as people shift away from the city of Mardan where thousands were living with families and schools as the UNHCR and other aid agencies struggle to deal with the needs of so many. The refugees are facing extremely harsh living conditions in the searing heat in over crowded camps.

When I see this picture I am flooded with all sorts of emotions. Of resilience, of defiance, of sadness, of hope, of frustration, of responsibility.

What do you think of when you see this picture?

P.S. I wanted to use this post to also update on our fund-raising drive. We will close this current collection with this post. We will add another $1000 what is collected here and donate all to appropriate agencies helping the IDPs (in the past all the collection has been given evenly to the Edhi organization and to UNHCR). In the previous fundraising drive ATP readers had contributed just under $5000, which we had topped off to $5000 and added another $2000 from ATP. This time we will top off whatever is collected from the readers to $2000 and add another $1000 from ATP advertising. So, the total would come to $10,000 from All Things Pakistan to IDP relief (including $3000+ from ATP advertising). Our thanks to all those who have contributed to this drive (including some who have done so more than once), and to everyone who has supported IDP relief anywhere, through any means. We hope you will continue doing so through whatever avenues you find most useful to you.

19 responses to “What Do You Think When You See This Picture?”

  1. Humanoid says:

    The flowing water symbolise the life, which goes on…..

    The boy crossing the bridge depict hope amid many hardships, but his strong legs and balance show resilence and a power that will help him in not failing.

    The sun setting in this scenario tells me that its going to bring another dawn, brighter more harsher than before, but it will be faced. His concentration on the bridge shows he will try hard!

  2. Voyageur says:

    Nice picture!
    ‘The boy is balanced and he is going to make it’. This fact symbolizes that situation under control. Alhamdolillah the displaced brothers and sisters have started the journey back to their homes. Even though, we should be happy for people of Buner and Swat but we are not done yet!
    Yesterday, I have heard about the Taliban activities similar to those in Malakand, in Southern parts of Punjab & Northern Balochistan. Its alarming & irritating. How further we need to go to complete the mission ‘clean up’?

  3. Ahmad says:

    Dear Brothers & Sister,

    Being a Muslim we believe that Allah test those peoples whose are near and beloved to him. In 1947 our forefather had been tested and they got there aim now called hero of the nation. Now its our turn. What will we be called

  4. Anonymousss says:

    Nishaan yehi hai zamanay main zinda qadmon ka
    Kay subh-o-shaam badalti hain un ki tadqeerain

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