Joseph Lombardo has been an anti-war advocate since he was a teenager.
Recently, his longtime fight took him far from his Bethlehem home to demonstrate in a country whose people he feels are being hurt by U.S. military actions, but we are not even at war with. As part of the United National Anti-War Coalition, Lombardo traveled to Pakistan in early October with seven others to demonstrate against the use of drones there. He will speak about his trip at an event at the Bethlehem Public Library sponsored by the Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace.
Lombardo had just entered college when the Vietnam anti-war movement began in earnest. At the time, he wanted to end what he felt was an “agenda” that was taking away friends and family. He never thought decades later he would be making the trip to Pakistan.
“The people there don’t understand why we hate them and why we can’t stop our government from doing these things,” said Lombardo.
The delegation spent a total of eight days abroad speaking with local peace groups and citizens whose lives have been directly influenced by the use of drones within their country. The trip also included a two-day “peace convoy” from Islamabad to the Federally Administered Tribal Area of Waziristan, on the border of Afghanistan.
“The people living there are afraid to go outside because they are afraid of drone attacks,” said Lombardo. “The men are afraid to gather in a group of more than three people because they think they will be thought of as militant and attacked. A majority of the children don’t go to school.”
During discussions, the delegation was told there has been a recent uptick in rates of suicide and depression among Pakistanis, which local groups attributed to post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by the specter of drone attacks.
“Our own government told us that any male between the ages of 20 to 60 is assumed to be militant and could be attacked,” said Lomobardo. The United States insists there have been no civilians casualties in Pakistan since 2008. Drone strikes in that country have increased in number dramatically since that time.
A local journalist in North Waziristan told the delegation he has recorded the deaths of 670 women alone over the past several years because of drone attacks.
“We don’t get the real story of what’s going on there,” said Lombardo. “Our government is very controlling with the media now. It’s not like in the old days when journalists were embedded with both sides, and it causes a lack of information.”
Lombardo said the majority of people he met were extremely warm and friendly. They were happy to know they were not forgotten by the citizens of the United States and wanted to learn more about the anti-war movement and those considered to be on the left side of the political spectrum.
Many Pakistanis are creating or joining progressive movements of their own, like the Labour Party of Pakistan, the Worker’s Party, Justice Party and the People’s Party. Some of the parties are merging to become more solidified. There is also a newly formed Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom chapter in Pakistan.
Lombardo’s convoy made its way to the border of Waziristan, but never made it inside. The Pakistani government placed blockades at the border, and the delegation’s hosts felt it would be better if the American members of the group turned back. Imran Khan, presidential candidate for the Justice Party, continued on with his group.
“It was unfortunate, but it was understood that the political power of this trip with our delegation had already been achieved, and therefore, the risk was not worth it at this point,” said Lombardo.
Lombardo’s speech will include stories about the people he met and the devastating circumstances Pakistanis face in their daily lives. He will also share photos and the group’s plans for the future.
“The Pakistani people know not all Americans are what our government is, but what they don’t know is many Americans don’t support these wars. It raises the question of what is war and why do we need it? We’re trying to raise awareness of their plight,” Lombardo said.
The discussion will be held at Bethlehem Public Library on Sunday, Oct. 28 from 3 to 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.