My view is essentially that of an outsider. I first have to admit my own bias. My father spent his life educating rural Pushtuns and spending his whole teaching career in many villages around Peshawar (some of these villages such as Shabqadar and Shaikhan were afflicted with violence). He ended his career by training teachers to carry his torch. Therefore, destruction of schools in the current conflict was especially painful to me. It is good that my father is not alive as these acts of lunacy would have broken his heart. The first half of my life was spent in Peshawar. I visit the region once a year, travel extensively and interact mainly with ordinary folks. My view is based on my interaction with Pushtuns including locals and internally displaced, non-Pushtuns, policemen, etc, in Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi. Ordinary folks and those at the bottom of the food chain are the main sources rather than higher decision makers. People are hesitant to speak their mind but once they felt comfortable then they expressed their views candidly.
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