glimpses of Peshawar

"i can do everything for you... everything that usually is impossible
for normal tourists: shooting with a Kalashnikov, see the smuggler
bazaar, enter the tribal areas where not even the police can enter... i
can provide you everything: old jewelery from Afghanistan, opium, red
gold hashish, heroin, any weapon: ak47, beretta p92, chinese rifles...
and if you are interested to make some articles i can bring you to some
afgani refugee camps, or talking with a mullah or even a taleban... i
often collaborate with foreigner journalist, bbc, cnn, etc"
"i would like to talk with a woman. an intellectual one... a writer, a
poet... "
"oh man, this is impossible: you are nearly in afganistan! what about
shooting with a bazooka? "
these are the typical tourist attraction of peshawar

white sky. cloudy ful of humidity. kandido and his guides wait indie a
car for someone. a men tidy dress in his white robe and a fashion cpa
enter the car. a big rig with a stone at his finger. with him no
problem... not even with thye police... he's our entry pass to the
tribal area. they park in a dusty road: garbage everywhere along the
side. and they enter a small brick house. inside carpets and cushions
on the wall and a nice freshness. a man arrives with a pot a green
tea... after few talks he brings... a big bag... inside a lot of drugs
of all kind coming from afganistan.

AFghan red gold... and opium... in the hands of a dangerous mafia fighter!

the he brought some weapon a pen-gun: "you can use it for your
girlfriend: they propose" and an ak47: the famous Kalashnikov!
take picture... no worries... just remove your card from the camera when
we go out of here...
Pen-gun and red gold

freedom fighter??

you want some of these... the owner handle him few hundreds dollars...
they are false... made in afganistan...

some more people is coming... the owner invited in, and take their
kalahnikov and put them away in a small room... "here weapons are like a
caps. everybody has... it's traditional clothing"... but do they use
them? sometimes... problem with land... you know we are like the

Americans of the movies... just for security you know!
a young boy, around 12 years old enters, around his neck a belt with a
gun: kandido recognize it: beretta p92: the one that he used during his
military service in italy.

they pay the bagshish (the tip in urdu and indi language) and they
go... "you stay in the car... not move too much around"
few days before there was a bombing in peshawar that detroyed two
electric power lines: the town stayed bocked for 2 days!
not far from the tribal area there is a part of pehswar full of huge
villas: an ostentation of richness and power. roman columns, beautiful
gardens.

"here is were the politicians lives... and where mafia lives too... like
good neighbors"
everybody laugh... at the end Pakistan, Afghanistan is not so different
from italy... many is money it doesn't matter where they comes from!
they arrives at the end to the Afghani refugees camp: million people
flowed out of afganistan during the war with russian settled there in
small mud brick houses... kids are working making bricks, and bringing

water...

Hot days for little workers!

"i feel so lucky to be born in italy..." kandido says "what the Q'aran
says about that... why people is poor and should suffer...?"
"islamic people suffers all over the world. we are victims. this world
is a test for us... so we can gain the paradise and live eternally in
good condition."
"than the guide pointed the kids jumping in the water: but the reason
for these people being here is not Hallah. it's for americans and
russians. Hallah is a good father."
"you know for this reason inside every Muslim pakistani there is hidden
inside a little taleban. we are angry. angry about all injustice around
us!! we a totally under controll of america... now for security reason
on our passport there os our fingerprint. less freedom... i understand
why talebans are fighting... i understand theri frustration!"
"and what about the lesson of Gandhi. he defeated the greatest empire of
his time just with non- violence reactions. i've heard so much people
here in pakistan talking about how bad are americans and then sip their
pepsi and eating kfc or mc donalds... or pizza hut... why they don't
start the fight from their life... boycotting americna products... maybe
because they like coke more than their revolution. or because talking is
easier than doing something! a million of little action like this can
put an empire into its knees..."

afghani profugees working in making mud bricks!