Malala: Dinner list. Everyone else: Kill list.

If only she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize

“Maezol Khan was a bright one” sighed the family of Chugtais

~

If only he could have his disfigured figure re-figured

Too late for young Luqman, those deadly strikes the joystick triggered

~

If only she could fly to New York and hold Ban Ki Moon’s hand

But young Ayesha lies deep beneath the rubble in Malakand

~

If only he could be Time Magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’

Though he was just a common shepherd, 15 year old Shabir

~

If only she made Obama’s dinner list; not his kill list

A terror threat was studious Shaukat: the burgeoning chemist?

~

If only he could have his face on the cover of Newsweek

But that wouldn’t be a pretty sight; poor dishevelled Shafiq

~

If only she could write for some fancy US Magazine

It was on her way to school when it crashed down on Shabuddin

~

If only he could be honoured with a day named after him

But CNN do not cry for the likes of Ziauddin

More than 2,400 people have died in Obama’s illegal drone war[1]. In Pakistan alone, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism estimates that between 416 and 951 civilians have been killed, including 168 to 200 children[2]. The names of the children used in this poem are real victims; here a complete list of all the innocent children who have lost their lives in Obama’s illegal drone war[3]. Yet it is apparent Taliban target Malala Yousafzai who continues to grab all the headlines.

[1] http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2014/01/23/more-than-2400-dead-as-obamas-drone-campaign-marks-five-years/

[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/23/obama-drone-program-anniversary_n_4654825.html

[3] http://droneswatch.org/2013/01/20/list-of-children-killed-by-drone-strikes-in-pakistan-and-yemen/