In Depth – The River Story
by Alizah Kohari, Dawn, Pakistan – When the water first came, panic rippled through the valley.
Up until then, most of the villagers had refused to leave. In a jirga held in one village, the elders had all lined up and one by one, with a Quran held over each of their heads, had solemnly sworn that they would stay.
Helicopters had hovered over the villagers’ homes, dropping down flyers that urged them to evacuate, and despairing officials visited the valley, issuing exhortations first and ultimatums later. Many of the villagers didn’t think there would be any water, though. Rumour had it that what the government really wanted to do was raze down their homes and set up a string of factories instead.
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