There he found a letter the army had left for him. It blamed the people of Swat for allowing the Taliban to take control of our homeland. “We have lost so many of the precious lives of our soldiers—and this is due to your negligence,” the letter said. “Long Live the Pakistani Army!” My father shrugged. “How typical,” he said. “First the people of Swat fall under the spell of the Taliban, then they are killed by the Taliban, and now they are blamed for the Taliban!”
