At 1850 hours on May 20. The picture of the X-ray of baby Sangotian Romana, along with other pictures in the collage, was taken at the protected Buddhist archaeological site (1 AD-6 AD) of Ranigat in the village of Nogram, District Buner in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The site is located at an altitude of 2060 feet, and it made me wonder how peaceful this region must have remained until humans began to kill fellow humans, despite the Lord wishing them to be kind towards each other and promote peace in their lives, as taught by every religion.
Wrecked by the devastating events of an attack on my alma mater, Public School Sangota Swat, that targeted nursery students, I decided to take a break and seek peace. On 20th May 2023 at 1400 hrs, I left Islamabad for the village of Haq Nawaz Khan, the incumbent Registrar of Buner University, who had invited me for a steep hike to this historic site as a relief from the mental stress caused by the tragedy in the last three days.
While on the motorway, my inbox received an image of baby Sangotian Romana, a class 5 student, showing an X-ray with a bullet fired by a policeman stuck in her windpipe. The bullet was successfully removed through surgery at Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad. I pray to the Almighty to grant baby Sangotian a speedy recovery.
What impressed me most about this geography, located on the fringe of mainland Swabi in KP, is that I drove through the village of Ghurshusto, where the majority of approximately 1000 households belong to the Hindu population. They control trade and commerce and interact socially and culturally with the local Pukhtun population as sons of the soil. I wondered how this island of peace and interfaith harmony survived amidst political radicalism that gifted the region with senseless violence and bigotry, which is forbidden by all faiths as commanded by the creator.
With this, I am grateful and touched by the kind gesture of Honorable Azam Khan, the incumbent Chief Minister, who dispatched Honorable Amjad Khan, Personal Staff Officer to the CM. He was kind enough to spend considerable time and assure the Principal of Public School Sangota Swat of all possible assistance to secure both the children and the school in the future. For this, we owe him and the Honourable Chief Minister of KP gratitude for safeguarding the future of our children as our collective responsibility towards society. Long Live Pakistan with its glorious past of harmony and peace. 🇵🇰
