Child of War

"The Sleeping Beauty"

There are so many secrets that the koh-e-murdar keeps
The biggest is the secret of the lovely lady who sleeps

Since long ago people have been intrigued by what they see
wondering how the sleeping beauty of Quetta came to be

Some say it was Farhad who carved an image in the stone
of his sleeping Shireen so that he would never feel alone

Some say it's of Mujnu's Layla when she last closed her eyes
a permanent reminder for us all that true love never dies

For me it doesn't matter if either of these silly stories is true
because when I look at the sleeping beauty all I see is you

The "sleeping beauty" of Quetta

"Abandoned"

With tears in her eyes a desperate mother pleads
"Please take in my son I can not fulfill his needs"

The guard at the orphanage has to send her away
She's the third such mother to show up here today

In frustration she abandons her boy on the street
praying that God will provide a way for him to eat

Tears start falling down his sad sweet young face
"Please mother don't leave me alone in this place"

Her heart is breaking as she leaves hearing him cry
It's better this way she thinks than seeing him die

Today that abandoned boy is singing for some cash
maybe tonight he won't have to eat from the trash

"Child of War"

An Afghan child of war is what I see
sitting down there in front of me
His baba's old rifle nestled in his arm
ever ready to do his enemy harm
His eyes looking at every passing face
trying to find one out of place
He remembers the words his baba said
"Sleep is a luxury for the dead
One must do whatever it takes to survive
It's not easy here staying alive"
Words passed down to every Afghan son
as he's given his baba's old gun
In a part of this cruel world not that far away
where little children only wish they could play

"August 19th 2009"

Please don't say Happy "Independence" Day to me
Our beloved Afghanistan is far from being free

They say we're a democracy now and should rejoice
we have elections but do we really have a choice?

It's been eight long years now since the Taliban fell
yet most of our Afghanistan is still a living hell

So please tell me what is their for us to celebrate today
as our people are killed by the Taliban and the USA?

Explosions instead of fireworks light up our Afghan sky
as more and more of our innocent people die

"The Next One Dead"

"Kabul"

Everyone's life in Kabul hangs by a thread
One wrong move and you'll end up dead

Of the American forces people live in fear
knowing what happens if you get too near

Who is your enemy and who is your friend
depends on how much money you spend

Kabul jan my eyes were not prepared to see
Your inhabitants still living in so much misery

Even your universities are still falling apart
To see you like this brings pain to my heart

Billions of dollars in aid where did it all go?
From looking around one would never know

*Inspired by a note about my friend Lmar Ghaljai's current trip to Kabul. Please pray for his safe return home.

A suicide car bomb in Kabul earlier this year.

"Caught In The Middle"

Suicide bombers have shattered the heart of Khost city
There is no escaping this war for us and that's a pity

We are tired day after day again reliving the same story
innocent people die and yet the Taliban proclaim glory

The Taliban try to convince us the westerners are a curse
but for the city of Khost the Taliban have become worse

As Muslims and Pashtuns of our own death we have no fear
but we worry for all those we love and who we hold dear

Now we all wonder who will live and who will die every day
Helpless and caught in the middle of war we can only pray

School textbooks and shoes are seen on the ground after a suicide attack in Khost province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2008. A suicide bomber tried to attack a meeting of tribal elders and blew himself up near an Afghan primary school on Sunday, killing 14 children and wounding 58 people, School textbooks and shoes are seen on the ground after a suicide attack in Khost province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2008. A suicide bomber tried to attack a meeting of tribal elders and blew himself up near an Afghan primary school on Sunday, killing 14 children and wounding 58 people.

One of the many children injured that day :(

"Before It's To Late"

With it's many beautiful shades of blue, purple and red
the sky is no longer a sky but an artist's canvas instead

I feel so blessed that I looked up and happened to see
this masterpiece being created right there in front of me

It's so lovely that I wish there would be no end to this day
but sadly darkness is slowly creeping in to erase it away

At that very moment I remember my own inescapable fate
and how I must give thanks to the Artist before it's too late

"Our Rightful Place"

When we try to claim our rightful place
you throw the Taliban back in our face

You say "YOU people put us through hell"
as if we Pashtuns haven't suffered as well

All this prejudice does is breed more hate
and ensures Afghanistan a miserable fate

Until Pashtuns are made to feel we belong
How can you ever expect us to get along?

"To Much To Expect?"

Pashtuns are Afghans and to this country we gave our name
Is it too much for us to ask that we all be treated the same ?

Why in our Afghan government is Dari language preferred?
For us Pashto is the sweetest language we have ever heard

In positions of power why are Pashtuns numbers so very few?
That we are in the majority in Afghanistan doesn't seem true

Why must we be made to feel like strangers in our own land?
This is something Pashtuns will never be able to understand

You get upset when we ask only to be treated with respect
In a country named after us is this really too much to expect ?


* This is for those non-Pashtuns who complain if we speak up against the injustices against us. They get mad if we write about Pashtun unity instead of Afghan unity but yet they discriminate against us.

"When I Look Into Your Eyes"

When I look into your eyes
When I see your sweet smile
I forget all of my own sorrow
but I worry for your tomorrow

When I look into your eyes
when you make that cute face
my wounded heart starts to pray
that you will know peace someday

When I look into your eyes
when you give me that sad stare
I want so badly to be able to say
that soon everything will be okay

When I look into your eyes
I see the future there in front of me
and I know what it is that I must do
I must make this life better for you

I give my promise that you will see
Your Afghanistan at peace and free

"Pashtun Genocide"

My Cat Meena :)

Singing her to sleep lol :)

"Sorrow and Tears"

Our homeland for thirty long painful years
Has known nothing but sorrow and tears

We Afghans have to do more than just pray
to make our tomorrow better than our today

We Afghans must all decide to make a stand
to rid religious extremism from our homeland

We ourselves know what our own people need
We must make sure all of our children can read

Or who knows how many more long painful years
Our land will know nothing but sorrow and tears

"No Matter the Cost"

Due to our poverty and ignorance sometimes we are led astray
by the things people who claim to be our friends do and say

We are kept from education and prosperity so we can be used
slowly we are all awakening to how we are all being abused

We Pashtuns, like every other people, want to be treated fair
but about our God given human rights, nobody seems to care

Our language, our culture and our history are soon to be lost
We cannot afford to let that happen to us no matter the cost

"Without Even a Fight?"

For far too long our Pashtun nation has been made into a fool
by the old colonial political strategy of "divide and rule"

History has shown everyone Pashtuns strength when we all unite
the very thought causes our enemies to lose sleep at night

They have worked very hard to keep most of us ignorant and weak
about Pashtun unity now even our " leaders" are afraid to speak

We know our people are being used like pawns in a chess game
and that we keep letting this happen to us is such a shame

We are engaged in a battle that for our survival we must soon unite
or will we Pashtuns disappear from history without even a fight?

"Genocide"

That any ethnic group is targeted for genocide is terribly wrong
but in that category is where my poor people currently belong

How can I be silent when day after day my own people are dying
I don't hear the rest of the world for our misery doing any crying

In fact, the world on our suffering for a reason has been so silent
they were misled to believe that we are all uncivilized and violent

About Pashtuns the world has been fed a propaganda of hate
so that no one has any sympathy or cares about our cruel fate

I am a Pashtun and it's in my blood to stand up for what's right
I have chosen words and not bullets as my weapon in this fight

I hope and pray that someday the world will soon listen and see
who is behind Pashtuns seemingly endless misfortune and misery

"My People"

At times I feel I am writing to those who can't read.
Some of you say that God is punishing us for some sin
but how do we win a battle we have yet to even begin?
It is said that God helps those that help themselves.
What have we Pashtuns done to heal our nation's pain?
I see us doing nothing but blame "fate" and just complain.
As far as sinful people there are many than us far worse
yet do they suffer as we do with what we call our curse?
No, they rise up and for freedom they give a brave fight
God will always be on the side of his people who are right
Wishing doesn't make things happen, only our actions do!
My people, you act as if this simple fact is something new!

Dignity

Our Children will Ask Us

"A Pashtun"

"Just a Dream"

"This Pashtana's Life"

"Afghan eyes"

"One Family"

"Keep Remembering"

"I wonder"

Pashtuns are made fun of and considered a joke
but who was it who made us ignorant and broke?

Who has made our once feared proud warrior race
fall down without a fight to such a lowly place ?

We Pashtuns will not survive if we continue in this way
we are losing our identity more and more day by day

Thousands of our own people in graves now lie dead
Millions more from their beloved homes have fled

Sometimes I wonder what the final insult to us will be
before we Pashtuns finally rise up against our misery
or has our Afghan blood been replaced by Pakistani?




* I myself am not from Pakistan but I can't help but wonder what it will take for Pashtuns in Pakistan to stand up for themselves. I'm sorry if I offend anyone with my thoughts.....I just don't understand.

"Brave"

When I saw my beloved's dead body
I saw a young, brave Pashtun soldier
who was always prepared for a fight
to defend whatever was fair and right
a man whose very kind and gentle heart
made him from others his age stand apart
a man whose every single action showed
he lived and died by Pashtunwalli's code
Now I stand weeping at my love's grave
praying that I too, can live a life so brave

"Loya Paktia"

In all of graan Afghanistan, Loya Paktia is beyond compare
with such legendary history and natural beauty everywhere

Hidden in valleys surrounded by rugged rocky mountain peaks
are intoxicating flowers, lovely waterfalls and refreshing creeks

Brave men and women are what these proud mountains breed
who gladly answer the drum beats call whenever there is a need

Many strong warriors and rulers have been born upon Paktia's soil
who even in their very last breath to graan Afghanistan were loyal

That my family comes from such a splendid place I would never hide
because my Afghan heart is full of nothing for my dear Paktia but pride

"Dignity"

That we are literally madly in love with our homeland
is something no invader can ever understand

They don't see the beauty that our Afghan eyes see
because we make their uninvited visits pure misery

We Afghans are a nation fiercely independent and brave
who for freedom show no fear going to the grave

They call us Afghans the poorest nation on this earth
but we ourselves realize our great strategic worth

We Afghans always end up at the crossroads of history
We are a proud people who want only to be free
We might not have much but we have our dignity

Our watan is often called the grave yard of empires. Inshallah, one day they'll learn to leave us alone so we can have peace and prosper :)

"Walwar"

Our Pashtana daughters happiness should be worth
more than anything on this earth

Yet our precious daughters are being sold like sheep
putting a price tag that's very steep

Now only the wealthy and old men can marry it's so high
leaving the younger men wondering why

Sadly many daughters are slowly, miserably growing old
waiting the highest bidder before they are sold

Of Marrying many poor young men have given up all hope
and now drown their sorrows smoking dope

Which is worse? forced to marry an old man or having to wait
both for our children is a miserable fate

Setting a reasonable walwar limit is something we must do
as marriage has become a privilege of the few


*Special thanks to my dear brother in Afghanistan who suggested this sad topic.

Majabin Mohammed, 13, left, sits with her husband to whom she has been married to for six months, Mohammed Fazal, 45, and his first wife and their child.

"One Family"

We Pashtuns are all from one family
Whether Mohmand, Kakar, Yousifzai
Khattak, Shinwari, Afridi or Ahmadzai
no matter what our family tribe's name
the blood that flows through our veins
is all Pashtun and we are all the same

Gran Afghanistan is not only our home
but she's also every Pashtun's mother
bonding us each as sister and brother
Each tribe is merely a different branch
on the same proud Pashtun family tree
whose deep roots lay in Pashtonwalli

How can our Pashtun hearts not bleed
when we see our own family in need?

A tree is nothing without strong roots.

"Our Key"

Freedom is never just given
but rather won by our choice
of whether we remain silent
or choose to raise our voice

This evil imaginary Durrad Line
if Pashtuns have a firm resolve
will very quickly start to dissolve

United as one Pashun nation
we can take our rightful place
and once again be a proud race

Pashtun freedom is the door
and Afghan unity is our key
for unlocking a better destiny

Let's all start to turn the key :)

"Two Evils"

The army said they came here to fight the Taliban
at least that was the reason that they had all said
but even after we all witnessed how the Taliban fled
The army destroyed everything in our little village
There's just ruble where my school once used to be
There's no sign of what was once my favorite tree
Not even one single persons home is left standing
and we are all left here homeless not understanding
wondering who is the worse evil of these terrible two
Two evils that my whole village wishes we never knew

Pakistani Sarmil Khan and his daughter Faryal sit next to the rubble of their house destroyed in an air strike in Sultanwas village, in Dagar, Buner district, Pakistan, Wednesday, May 27, 2009.

"Worth"

I saw a Pashtun child wounded in a suicide bombing
I saw a Pashtun mother crying over her dead son
I saw a Pashtun beggar left homeless by the army
Today I saw in my own mirror a price on my head
It said Pashtun blood for sale cheap alive or dead
Every day now seems worse than the one before
Nobody likes to think what tomorrow has in store
Every Pashtun knows there's a price on their head
and that they're worth less alive than they are dead

"The City of the Dead"

Pekhawar, my dear home
once called the the city of flowers
has become the city of sorrows
Murders
Kidnappings
Suicide bombs
the Taliban has the city in fear
and nobody wants to stay here
but there is nowhere left to go
No place is safe we know
Everywhere
Murders
Kidnappings
Suicide bombs
the Taliban are now
everywhere
like a plague they have spread
leaving a trail of my people dead
Murders
Kidnappings
Suicide bombs
everywhere
Pekhawar, my dear home
once called the the city of flowers
Now you are called the city of sorrows
I fear that one day very soon instead
you will be called the city of the dead

Pakistani men arrive at the scene after a bomb blast at Qissa Khawani bazaar in Peshawar, Pakistan, on Thursday May 28, 2009. This was just the latest suicide bombing.

"Choices"

They say cowards die a thousand deaths
and that a Pashtun warrior dies only one
Which one will we chose to live and die as
Now that this battle against us has begun
Why is the Pashtunkwa enveloped in silence
during this dark time of unforgivable violence
One by one we are slaughtered like sheep
while like cowards we do nothing but weep
Will we Pashtuns keep on living like cowards
slowly, painfully,cruelly dying every single day
or will we bravely stand up and have our say
Our choices made today will decide our fate
We must act now before it becomes too late
Warriors never die without putting up a fight
but to win this war we Pashtuns must all unite

"The Most Beautiful Fruit"

The seeds have been planted
Every day it grows stronger
spreading quickly
like a weed out of control
but this is no weed
It is the most beautiful fruit
though it has yet to blossom
It is being watered by our tears
and fertilized by our resentment
and it's name is freedom
The most beautiful fruit
Help it bloom!
Be the sun shining on it
for nothing grows in the dark
Be a fire! Don't be a spark!

"Another Lost Pashtun Generation"

You think you see hope in her eyes yet I see her fears
That shine that you think you see in her eyes is tears
Precious tears of yet another lost Pashtun generation

She so is afraid that her home she might never again see
She is so afraid that forever she will be living in this misery
Terrified thoughts of yet another lost Pashtun generation

Millions of us before left our beloved homes unable to return
As history repeats itself I wonder why Pashtuns never learn
As I look at the sad eyes of a new lost Pashtun generation

From so many enemies we have been forced to flee our land
How painful that feels someone like me can easily understand
Because I was part of another lost Pashtun generation

"So Our Dear Children......"

I see a beautiful young Pashtun girl staring in silence
her sorrowful little eyes give a glimpse of the violence
that her and millions of children were forced to flee
and now they all live the so called "life" of a refugee

Gone are her friends, her family, her dolls and dreams
Now for her and others life has become a hell it seems
It's a hell that we Pashtuns have been through before
and we wonder how much more hell we all have in store

We Pashtuns are a proud people wanting only to be free
yet time and again we end up living the life of a refugee
Is there some sort of lesson we were supposed to learn
or must now every Pashtun child get their very own turn

Perhaps this might be the time we will finally all get it right
and together as one nation we Pashtuns will at last unite
so our dear children will never again in refugee camps cry
so our dear children will never again look at us asking why

"Never Again"

As we watched the summer rain falling
fast and furious as if someone was sobbing
we imagined the angels in heaven were crying
crying down their tears in the form of this summer rain
witnessing our Pashtun people's misery and pain

As we watched the news start unfolding
worse things every day they kept on showing
As we imagined how our own people are suffering
anger spread like fire throughout our entire community
and Pashtuns at long last started to call for unity

Now Pashtuns from all over are uniting
We finally have begun to see things clearly
From our long deep sleep we are quickly waking
That we will be free is a promise we intend to keep
As we all vow never again to go back to sleep

"Unity"

This word is like a myth to Pashtuns
We've all read about it in our history
and the poems of Khushal Khan Baba
But as I look at our pitiful state it seems
those stories were only fanciful dreams

I have yet to see it my very own lifetime
nor did my parents but they tell me tales
of legends of strong kings ang great warriors
about Pashtun men so noble and so brave
ready for Pashtunwali to go to thier grave

Where is our Ahmad Shah Durrani?
where is this generations great leader?
we are like lost sheep in need of a shepard
separated we all will surely lose this fight
for our very survival we must unite!

"Recipe"

The Pashtunkwa is on fire!
Swat is burning!
Do you see the inferno?
Malakand is burning!
Can you smell the smoke?
Pekhawar,Kandahar and Khost are all burning
Do you hear the bomb blasts?
Now every part of the Pashtunkwa is burning!
now every day we see Pashtuns die
and we all silently wonder "Why?"
While our blood is being drunk!
While our flesh is being roasted!
We Pashtuns are being cooked!
We are what is on the dinner plate
of those who have decided our fate!
We ourselves followed their recipe
willingly mixing Islam and militancy!
We let ourselves fall into the cooking pot!
We let ourselves be victims of their plot!
Are we going to give ourselves a good look
and burn this damned cook book?
Or are we going to sit around
and become dessert???????
As I watch the Pashtunkwa burn
I wonder why we never ever learn!
Why we keep on foolishly following
the recipe for our own destruction!

"Friends"

In times of crisis you learn who are your real friends
The Islamic Republic has finally shown her true face
and let it be known clearly where is a Pashtun's place

"Don't come knocking on our door!" shouts Sindh
"Karachi already has more than it's fair share!
We don't want anymore Pashtuns going there!"

"Don't come knocking our our door!" shouts Punjab
"We can't afford any more militants causing fear!
We can't allow anymore Pashtuns to come here!"

Pakistan proudly says "We're raising money for you"
Money that it's unlikely those IDP's will ever see
from a government so corrupt and so greedy

"Keep Remembering"

Look closely at this beautiful Pashtana's sad little face
Her own country sent her to this god-forsaken place

How can we Pashtuns possibly look at this sweet child
and in anger not want to go more than a little bit wild

Can you tell me please what was this innocent child's sin
to deserve this status of less than a second class citizen ?

We Pashtun adults are used to being treated in this way
but for our children do we want things to be the same way?

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan sent her to this awful place
Keep remembering that as you look at her miserable face

"Sweet Little Flower"

Sweet little flower
in the Swat valley you once grew
what will now become of you ?

Sweet little flower
plucked from your beloved home
now in a refugee camp your roam

Sweet little flower
tears like dew falls from your face
you don't belong in such a place

Sweet little flower
please be strong, don't wither away
you'll see your home again, one day

"Honour"

Called a coward!
Called beghairat!
Easy words for you to say
hard words for me to hear
coming not from a stranger
but from the mouth
of one of my own Pashtun brothers
whose apparent heart of stone
has no compassion for others
You say that you have honor
While I have absolutely none
I am not cold like you
I hope you never need to run
I hope you never see your city burn
But if such sorrows ever come your way
with open arms I'd warmly welcome you
from my lips you would never hear me say
You are a coward!
You are beghairat!
For I know what honour really means
and sadly I think you were never taught


***Inshallah someday all Pashtuns will be united but right now there are some among us calling those who left their homes cowards :( It's really very sad :( May Allah soften their hard hearts........Ameen!

"Singing to the Flowers"

The sun was shining
and I was softly singing
on a beautiful Spring day
in my childhood home
the lovely city of Quetta
her majestic mountains
were now my mountains
my home away from home
singing songs of love
shyly, softly singing
singing to the flowers
songs for my soulmate
the girl of my dreams
I was so very happy
singing to the flowers
dreaming of my princess
a rose from Kabul city
alas she is only a dream
and that is such a pity
but yet I keep on singing
on this beautiful spring day
dreaming of my Kabul rose
shyly, softly singing
singing to the flowers

* Inspired by a sweet story an Afghan friend told me of his younger days in Quetta. He's still singing to the flowers and dreaming so I dedicate this to him and pray he finds his rose soon :)

"This Pashtana's Life"

I am someone's future, someone's present, someone's past, someone's today
and to those special someones I have so much to say

I am someone's hope, someone's honour, someone's happiness, someone's heart
and from those special someones I never want to part

I am someone's smiles, someone's laughter, someone's comfort, someone's friend
and for those special someones my love has no end

I am someone's daughter, someone's sister, someone's mom, someone's wife
and for those very special someones I am their life

To all my special someones I pray honour and happiness this Pashtana's life brings
for I am nothing without my special someones for whom this song my heart sings



*dedicated to Zahid Jaan who gave me the honour of making me his older sister :)

"Mourning Mountains"

As I look at these mountains
for a few fleeting moments
I am back home
home with my majestic mountains
but then reality
cruel cold reality
slaps me on my face
these are not my mountains
this is not my land
all that I have left
of my majestic mountains
are my childhood memories
memories engraved upon
my Afghan heart
as I look at these mountains
tears start to fall
tears mourning mountains
and a far away land
I once called home

Appalachian Mountains of Alabama, USA where I live now :(

"Complete Darkness"

Darkness has fallen over the Pashtunkwa
Not even the moon is shinning her light
We can't see anything
Complete darkness
We can't help wondering why
No light is being allowed in
What is being hidden from our eyes
Some unspeakable sin
It won't be the first
nor will it be the last
Until this darkness
is a thing of the past
Complete darkness
until Pashtuns are free
our weary eyes will never see
anything at all except
Complete darkness

"Cheap"

The whole world has gone mad
no where is peace to be found
peace is now the stuff of fairy tales
not a single soul has been left untouched
by the wicked wounds of war
everyone now knows someone
someone senselessly slaughtered
by this murderous madness
this murderous mayhem called war
where the innocent suffer and die
as our so called "civilizations" clash
on this bloody battlefield
in the pretend pursuit of peace
"civilization" is not so civilized
why would they even bother
with the crazy notion of peace
when war is so profitable
and human life is so cheap



* The USA gives $2,000 in compensation for Afghan civilians they "accidentally" kill. Would $2,000 be enough, would any amount be enough to replace your mother, father, brother , sister or friend? :(

"Moorey"

Somehow my Moorey still smiles
despite death and destruction
somehow my Moorey still smiles
there is always hope in her eyes
despite death and destruction
she is my candle in this darkness
hope shines from her lovely eyes
she thinks it is I who am so strong
but it's always been her all along
she is my strength in this long fight
it is my moorey, my sweet moorey
who turns my darkness into light

"Humayan"

Little Humayan Khan always tried to act so tough
but as he looked around the refugee camp that day
tears came to his young eyes and wouldn't go away

That was many years ago and now Humayan is grown
but he has never ever forgotten that dreadful place
and now he is reminded by a little refugee boy's face

Humayan learned a lot being forced to flee his home
that knowledge is the only possession you really keep
and that a Pashtun never knows where he might sleep

Life is a gamble for a Pashtun in Pakistan and Afghanistan
he knows that it's uncertain that he will even see tomorrow
as he remembers what was once his own childhood sorrow



*Dedicated to an Afghan friend living in Pakistan with a heart of a gold and a thirst for knowledge who I admire alot :)

"Innocent Pashtun Children"

Innocent Pashtun children
cute little girls and little boys
with such sleepy sad eyes
missing their favorite toys

Innocent Pashtun children
in camps sit on the ground
sitting by their new tiny tents
they look in disbelief all around

Innocent Pashtun children
forced to grow up way to fast
to learn that life is full of sorrow
wonder how long their sorrow will last

Innocent Pashtun children
it should comes as no surprise
to see these beautiful babies
so sad bring tears to all our eyes


* Let's do all we can for our beautiful Pashtun children and their families.

"When you're a Pashtun"

When you're a Pashtun
there's a price on your head
Altaf Hussain's MQM
America and her allies
Pakistan and her army
the Northern Alliance
all want to see you dead

When you're a Pashtun
your very own politicians
don't care if pashtuns bleed
driven by money, power and greed
they live only by one simple rule
they just want their pockets kept full

When you're a Pashtun
there's no safe place to be
shot just sitting in your car
American's bombing your home
Pakistani army attacking your town
suicide bombers in your market place
there's no such thing as safety

when you're a Pashtun
labeled terrorists and Taliban
you are lucky just to survive
since nobody wants you alive


*Dedicated to all Pashtana killed in this genocide against us. May God grant them all paradise. Ameen!

Pashtuns killed by MQM in Karachi on May 12, 2007. Recently there has been a wave of murders of Pashtuns in Karachi. Let's pray this May 12 will be uneventful as the situation is very tense in Karachi these days.

A Pashtun tribesman stands near a damaged car after it was hit during an attack by Pakistani security forces in North Waziristan tribal region, August 10, 2007. The Pakistani army killed up to a dozen Pashtun "militants" in North Waziristan that day along with some women and children.

Gardez, Afghanistan - A man mourns at the graves of a wedding party, killed by American bombs by mistake.

The Northern Alliance massacred hundreds of Pashtuns in Mazar-e-Sharif as revenge in 2001.

"Until we are all on the same page"

Until we are all on the same page
Learn from our history that we must unite
ours is a sad story for the world to write

Until we are all on the same page
Of our suffering the newspapers will write
as we Pashtuns will keep losing this fight

Until we are all on the same page
We are destined to repeat the same old story
as we do nothing but dream of past glory

We complain and yet to nothing to help ourselves. Afsoos! :(

"If hell has levels......."

If hell has levels it seems we are on the ground floor
There's no further down for us to go any more

Every day we Pashtuns see hell before our very eyes
and every night we are haunted by the cries

The cries of those Pashtuns trapped inside a living hell
Those poor souls who pray they will live to tell

Tell us that the only way to end our hell is for us to unite
Only then will this dark hell begin to see any light

Together we can climb out of this living hell floor by floor
Until none of us are trapped in hell any more

"How Can I Ever Forget"

I still remember how I was feeling that day
Though it was so many, many years ago
The pain in my Afghan heart has yet to go
It was the only time I saw my plaar jaan cry
and looking back now I can understand why

I didn't want to tell him I felt so very afraid
As we crossed over the border we all cried
A piece of all of us there had suddenly died
For a moment we were all united by our grief
Hoping that our stay from home would be brief

When I see history repeating itself again
These memories become too much to bare
All this pain in my heart I have to share
As I see these Pashtun children on my tv
How Can I ever forget that was once me

Look at the fear in their eyes :(

Imagine what they must be feeling :(

"Taliban Justice"

I want to be free to sing along to my favorite song
I don't want to worry about being accused of wrong
Then be dragged into some highly public place
Where silent spectators will watch my disgrace
With no trial the Taliban's verdict will be in
and I will be publicly beaten for my sin
My sin of listening to my favorite song
This is the world to which we belong
A world full of terror and despair
A world seemingly beyond repair
The world of Taliban justice

A member of the Taliban's religious police beating a woman in Kabul in 2001 while a little child watches :(