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PESHAWAR: The services of a doctor who remained in his native Swat throughout the period of Taliban militancy and control in the valley have yet to be recognised.
Dr M Naeem Khan was the medical officer in-charge at the Basic Health Unit (BHU), Durush Khela, Matta tehsil, Swat, during the Taliban insurgency from 2008-2009 and continued to serve his people. He also carried out immunization in the far-flung areas at the time. However, there has neither been recognition of his work nor has he received any award.
Two other doctors who served in Saidu Sharif, the headquarters of Swat district, were given the gallantry award, Tamgha-e-Shujaat. They are Prof Dr Taj Mohammad, Principal, Saidu Medical College, and Dr Lal Noor, Medical Superintendent, Saidu Group of Hospitals. They were justifiably rewarded for performing their duties in those difficult days. However, those aware of the situation at the time pointed out that both Dr Taj Mohammad and Dr Lal Noor left Swat for some time during the peak of the insurgency and returned later when the army began taking control of the valley. Dr Taj Mohammad reportedly spent sometime in Abbottabad and Dr Lal Noor in Peshawar.
Dr Naeem Khan, on the other hand, didn’t move out of Swat despite the risks to his life. He stayed put in his village, Durush Khela, and continued to perform duty along with his staff at the local BHU. His uncle, veteran nationalist politician Mohammad Afzal Khan Lala, also refused to leave Swat and instead continued to resist the Taliban. It is acknowledged that the employees working under the EDO (Health), Swat, braved the odds and performed duty in the district during the days of militancy.
According to some of these employees, they were promised one-step promotion by the provincial government and in case of exceptional performance even a national civil award. The promise, if it was ever made, remains unfulfilled to this day.
Dr Naeem also foiled an attempt by the militants to snatch a government vehicle belonging to the National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Health Care. It may be added that 18 vehicles of the National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Health Care were damaged or destroyed by the militants in Swat.
Dr Naeem also received a letter of appreciation from the Chairman Falahi Committee, Bara Durushkhela, Col (Retd) Abdul Ghaffar Khan, who praised his services during the “critical period of Talibanisation” in Swat when almost all the government departments, including hospitals and BHUs, had closed down and most of the staff had left the area.
One witness of Dr Naeem’s work at the time was well-known journalist Declan Walsh, who visited Matta and wrote an article for the Guardian on October 2, 2009. A picture of Dr Naeem walking to work in Matta bazaar flanked by two bodyguards and carrying his Kalashnikov rifle was also published in the newspaper. This is how he described Dr Naeem’s work: “Dr Naeem Khan was taking no chances. Walking through streets once filled with Taliban gunmen, the amiable country doctor looked ready for battle -- an AK-47 in his hand, ammunition across his chest, and a chunky dagger tucked into his pocket. He patted his weapon fondly. This has become part of our everyday life now, like lunch and dinner,” he said as he entered his small hospital where he works.
“In his surgery, Khan pulled a stethoscope from a drawer and turned to his first patient of the day, a burka-clad mother bearing a sick infant. His gun remained tucked under the desk.”
Dr M Naeem Khan was the medical officer in-charge at the Basic Health Unit (BHU), Durush Khela, Matta tehsil, Swat, during the Taliban insurgency from 2008-2009 and continued to serve his people. He also carried out immunization in the far-flung areas at the time. However, there has neither been recognition of his work nor has he received any award.
Two other doctors who served in Saidu Sharif, the headquarters of Swat district, were given the gallantry award, Tamgha-e-Shujaat. They are Prof Dr Taj Mohammad, Principal, Saidu Medical College, and Dr Lal Noor, Medical Superintendent, Saidu Group of Hospitals. They were justifiably rewarded for performing their duties in those difficult days. However, those aware of the situation at the time pointed out that both Dr Taj Mohammad and Dr Lal Noor left Swat for some time during the peak of the insurgency and returned later when the army began taking control of the valley. Dr Taj Mohammad reportedly spent sometime in Abbottabad and Dr Lal Noor in Peshawar.
Dr Naeem Khan, on the other hand, didn’t move out of Swat despite the risks to his life. He stayed put in his village, Durush Khela, and continued to perform duty along with his staff at the local BHU. His uncle, veteran nationalist politician Mohammad Afzal Khan Lala, also refused to leave Swat and instead continued to resist the Taliban. It is acknowledged that the employees working under the EDO (Health), Swat, braved the odds and performed duty in the district during the days of militancy.
According to some of these employees, they were promised one-step promotion by the provincial government and in case of exceptional performance even a national civil award. The promise, if it was ever made, remains unfulfilled to this day.
Dr Naeem also foiled an attempt by the militants to snatch a government vehicle belonging to the National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Health Care. It may be added that 18 vehicles of the National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Health Care were damaged or destroyed by the militants in Swat.
Dr Naeem also received a letter of appreciation from the Chairman Falahi Committee, Bara Durushkhela, Col (Retd) Abdul Ghaffar Khan, who praised his services during the “critical period of Talibanisation” in Swat when almost all the government departments, including hospitals and BHUs, had closed down and most of the staff had left the area.
One witness of Dr Naeem’s work at the time was well-known journalist Declan Walsh, who visited Matta and wrote an article for the Guardian on October 2, 2009. A picture of Dr Naeem walking to work in Matta bazaar flanked by two bodyguards and carrying his Kalashnikov rifle was also published in the newspaper. This is how he described Dr Naeem’s work: “Dr Naeem Khan was taking no chances. Walking through streets once filled with Taliban gunmen, the amiable country doctor looked ready for battle -- an AK-47 in his hand, ammunition across his chest, and a chunky dagger tucked into his pocket. He patted his weapon fondly. This has become part of our everyday life now, like lunch and dinner,” he said as he entered his small hospital where he works.
“In his surgery, Khan pulled a stethoscope from a drawer and turned to his first patient of the day, a burka-clad mother bearing a sick infant. His gun remained tucked under the desk.”
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