Travels with a freedom fighter

Book review of 'Whispers of War'

Whispers of War

An Afghan Freedom Fighter’s Account of the Soviet invasion

Masood Khalili

Sage Publishing 

275 pages; Rs 495

Afghanistan has been a theatre of war for close to four decades now. The country has known little peace as it has, over this time period, battled the Soviets, the Taliban as well as the bewildering instability that followed the American intervention in 2001.

Meanwhile, some things have remained the same. Chief among these is Pakistan’s duplicity in pretending to be a friend of the country while simultaneously bolstering forces that seek to weaken it. But the greater constant is something that has let the country survive despite its troubles: The strong tradition of tribal loyalty among the Afghans that has resisted any attempt at occupation.

Masood Khalili, the Ambassador of Afghanistan to Spain, comes from an illustrious lineage. The son of a renowned poet, he was a close friend of and advisor to Ahmad Shah Masood, the leader of the Northern Alliance movement that rose after the Soviets left the country as a challenge to the Taliban.

On September 9, 2001, Masood was killed in an attack by the Taliban, widely believed to have been orchestrated by the Al-Qaeda whose leader Osama bin Laden pulled off the world’s most stunning terror attack on the US two days later. Mr Khalili, who was with Masood at the time, survived the attack.

In the book under review, Mr Khalili recounts the period between July and September of 1986, when he travelled from Chitral in Pakistan to Panjshir in Afghanistan. This was before the Soviets departed Afghanistan and Mr Khalili and Masood, eulogised for his bravery as the “Lion of Panjshir”, were involved in the resistance against the Communists. 

The book is a detailed look at this journey, which passes through some of the roughest terrain in the world, as the travellers encounter snow, wind, and hale; halt at villages with no electricity; traverse dangerously narrow pathways; and take refuge, when they can, in mountainous caverns.

The path is hard but can also yield unexpected surprises. At one point, Mr Khalili writes: “The weather is gorgeous. It is like a generous perfume seller who offers his perfumes for free. The only thing you should do is to tell the wind what kind of flower you like the most and it delivers the fragrance right to your heart.”

Yet, it is the spirit of the Afghans that shines most powerfully through this book. During his months-long journey, Mr Khalili meets men, women and children, who show him the greatest compassion and hospitality even as they suffer grievous shortages. One incident, shot through with humour, illustrates the Afghan code of welcoming the guest.

While staying with a village elder in the Aiyhood village of the Badakhshan province, Mr Khalili asked his men to arrange for a horse for his journey ahead. On hearing of the request, the elder got upset and excoriated Mr Khalili for asking his men to arrange a horse in his presence. He then pointed to a horse outside his home and offered it to Mr Khalili. When Mr Khalili thanked him and said he could not possibly take the horse, the elder replied: “This is my horse, and now it is yours. You cannot reject it, and if you do so, I will kill the horse.”

For a society that follows such rigorous honour codes, occupation by the foreigner is a particularly bruising wound. Mr Khalili repeatedly brings up stories of refugees who have had to resettle due to the presence of the Soviets, yet who are willing to support the resistance in their thirst for freedom. 

In times of bleakness, poetry can provide solace, and the book is replete with traditional Afghan couplets that Mr Khalili narrates to his hosts as they offer him dates and raisins. As dusk approaches, lanterns provide dim light in small rooms but the gaiety of the traveller and his host makes up for the chill. For a book that speaks to deep political divisions, its most endearing parts relate warm stories of people bonding over words and dry fruits.

The book is merely a snippet since it covers a brief period in the life of one man devoted to the resistance against the Soviets. In a moving epilogue, Mr Khalili recounts the serial disasters that have struck his country since then. His criticism of the Taliban is especially noteworthy. He criticises their medieval ideology, which places restrictions on basic freedoms.

At a time when Islam is riven with divisions and the most abominable fundamentalist urges, Mr Khalili reminds the reader of a gentler Islam, one that believes in women’s rights and education, and which celebrates music and the arts. Mr Khalili is scathing in his attack of the Pakistani military establishment that, with help from the Arabs, has flamed fundamentalist fires in the subcontinent, forever altering its syncretic roots. 

But Whispers of War, despite its theme and gravid title, is not a sorrowful book. It is ultimately a homage to a people too proud to give up on their freedom but also too impoverished to decide their destinies on their own.