Returning from job to my home, I met a 6 or 7 year old Afghan boy. He was colleting papers from the garbage. I think 70% of our paper & plastic recycling is done by “recycling industry”, which consists of these Afghan children. I offered him some recyclable garbage, “but its at my home so you have to walk up to my house”, I told him. As it was 10-15 minutes walk so we engaged in casual conversation. I asked, “which country you like more! Pakistan or Afghanistan?” He told, Pakistan is good, very good but Afghanistan is the country, the ultimate good. He analyzed as if both countries were his own and he belonged to both of them.

“Your income?” I asked. Rs. 100-200 daily, he replied. “Future plans?” I asked. He told that he was saving money and then he would move to Afghanistan. He will buy goats and will keep a herd. He told that before war (Soviet invasion), their family used to keep herds of cattle. I asked whether he was (Pukhtoon) Pushto- speaking or (Persian) Farsi-speaking? He told me that he was Pukhtoon. “The Persian speakers are US backed, I belong to Osama Biradari”, his comments startled me. Then the kid suddenly realized that my home was not along his way. Although I assured him a lot that it would take just 2-3 minutes and we were almost there but he was determined not to take a single step forward. I even told him that this would earn him a few more rupees but he was very stubborn with almost no patience. How very Pathan of him! I thought. But after this thought, there were two more thoughts:

1- He was robbed of his childhood. He was hardly 6 or 7 and was independent, earning his bread, saving for the future, while the kids of his age of the civilized nations were just learning how to spell future, earning and planning.

2- He was hardly 6 or 7 and knew international politics from alpha to omega. US backed and non-US (Osama biradari, as he called it) are the two groups our world is divided into!