There are books that take one to imaginary lands and weave tales of such adventures that one fails to draw a line between reality and dreams. But there are also books that carry the echoes of lost souls, wisdom, and love. Echoes from the Mountains by Khalida Naseem is one such book.

This book is like a hidden map to a lost world of humanity, civilization, love, empathy, and standing tall and upright for one’s beliefs, even in the face of the most brutal regimes. It is a concealed treasure of wisdom, but for me, it is also a way to repay the debt of love I owe towards the warm and welcoming land of the Pakhtuns, the homeland of many of my father’s and uncle’s dear friends. From them I learned the mighty history of peaceful rebellion and the melodious Pashtun poetry that they patiently translated for me. One can easily imagine the pain I felt when I saw this mighty land descending into a war zone, no longer a destination for summer vacations to meet our family friends.

Ghani Khan, son of the mighty Bacha Khan, a poet, free thinker, and rebel against religious feudals, was a man of ideology and principles whose heart and mind were in sync with the poor people of his land. His name was not new to me, as men of ideology remembered him with respect and fondness all over Indo, Pak, and Afghan lands. To read his poetry in English, through the lens of a woman who herself strongly identifies with her roots and feels the agony and pain of her motherland, is a great testament. Both the poet and the translator suffered through the anguish of extremism that began engulfing the Pakhtuns from the 1980s onwards, and this is evident in the poems Khalida selected for translation.

O lover of Islam
O political momin
Today you praise Islam
What was the praise yesterday?
Today are promises of paradise
Were yesterday’s promises of hell?

Poetry is not merely sewing rhyming words into beautiful strings of verses. Poetry that resonates with the emotions of common people, expresses their struggles, and voices their social issues can stand the test of time and history. Ghani Khan’s poetry does just that, as his soul was as simple as that of the common Pakhtun, and in his heart and mind, he was clear about his ideology and love for his people. And when I say his people, I do not mean the Pashtun elite living in lush green bungalows of Islamabad, but the common men who always stood with his father and family, following the path of non-violence, even though they were the ones against whom the most brutal violence was unleashed, from the British Raj to the regimes after independence. Their children are still being used as sacrificial lambs in the so-called Jihad.

Ghani Khan felt the pain of this imported jihad and was fully aware of the monsters it was creating. He was vocal about it. When I read his poem You Name it Jihad, I was astonished by its blunt truth. I thought of Mishal Khan, who lost his life to religious fundamentalists, and I thanked fate that Ghani Khan was not alive in today’s times, otherwise, he might have met the same fate. Questioning is forbidden, religion is used as a tool to suppress the masses, and turning people into blind followers is a gift for elites. Ghani Khan questioned every part of this blind submission and openly challenged the religious lords. It gives me shivers to imagine what would have happened to him in today’s madness.

Khalida is equally aware of this monster, as she herself saw her beautiful motherland turning into hell, where instead of education and infrastructure development, billions of dollars were spent turning poor children into so-called Mujahideen and suicide bombers. The poem And You Name it Jihad reflects not only the poet’s intellect and political insight but also Khalida’s own. By selecting this poem, she conveys the brutality her nation has endured on a global platform.

Dollars in pocket,
Poison in hands,
He tells me to kill a Pashtun brother
And calls it Jihad.

The beauty of this book lies in Khalida’s unwavering commitment to Ghani Khan’s poetry. She is not afraid to select poems manifesting his wit and his scathing critique of religious feudal lords, such as O Mullah, Your Heart is Full of Self, O Mullah, You and I, and my personal favorites Islam, O Political Momin and the star of the book, You Name it Jihad. The Mullah he repeatedly addressed was not the poor imam of a village mosque, but the powerful religious feudals. Ghani Khan was fully aware of the class system within clerical ranks and their audacity to sell their own blood and flesh to foreign powers for dollars.

That man with the white turban,
And a long beard to show off,
Like a hidden poisonous snake…
Crushing that cursed hypocrite
Is real Jihad.

Through Khalida’s command of language and poetry, this poem alone tells the story of fifty years of senseless, imported war. Ghani Khan’s poems encompass diverse emotions and themes: love, grief, passion, longing, humanism, philosophy, mysticism, cultural pessimism, escapism, imagination. For this reason, he is often compared to John Keats. But to me, his aura surpasses Keats, because of his bravery in openly challenging religious fundamentalists, who were (and still are) considered holy and above the law.

To select a poet of such magnificence is no easy task. It requires not only a deep understanding of the poet’s thought process, but also proficiency in language and the courage of heart to deal with subjects many avoid for the sake of safety. Khalida displays all of these qualities in her book. I hope Echoes from the Mountains will shatter the echo chambers that have portrayed Pashtuns as mindless, brutal savages, and instead reveal their true history of non-violence, love, patriotism, bravery, and civilization that we lost to greed.

O lovers,
A few moments
In the bloom of youth
Rack up the beauty
Of such precious moments.
Fill your goblets,
Relish the heart.
The bells are ringing,
The caravan is leaving.
Bring your lips
To lips in passion…
The dawn is breaking,
Parting is nearing.