Adil Najam
Having to write regular posts of ATP can sometimes become a heavy burden. Not because of the workload. But because of the pain and hurt that can come with following the daily struggles for survival. Today, once again, too many did not survive those struggles.
The News reports from Karachi:
Death toll in the bomb blast in Quaidabad has risen up to eleven, while number of wounded to at least 40. Many labourers, who work in the Landhi industrial area, were stated to be among the victims. Two minors and a woman have been also counted among the dead. Twenty injured were shifted to Social Security Hospital, 40 at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) hospital, while some others were moved to Steel Mills hospital.
Meanwhile, Rangers personnel were deployed at the JPMC hospital to avoid any law and order situation at the facility. Sindh police chief, Azhar Ali Farooqui, visited the crime scene. He claimed that the explosive device was planted in a motorcycle parked at the spot…
“I was leaving the factory when I heard a huge explosion and I saw several people lying in pools of blood on the road. There were more than 30 people who were hit by the blast,” eyewitness Rehman Malik said while talking to a news agency. “As soon as the bomb went off the electricity pylon caught fire and the lights went out. There were bodies lying all around and I could hear people screaming in the darkness,” he added. Wounded people covered in blood and with their clothes blown off by the force of the blast were brought to hospitals in ambulances and the back of pick-up trucks, a reporter of the news agency said.
Gunfire erupted in the area in the wake of the attack.
See more videos on vidPK.com
The politics of violence, of uncertainity, of extremism and of military authoritarianism comes together to create a sense of helplessness. Talk to any Pakistani, anywhere, and you can feel the palpable fear and helplesness. A sense that not only have we lost control of what is happening around us, but also that we have no sense of what might happen next.
As I often do in times when I need solace, I went to poetry. This time to this ode of Karachi and Sindh by Ahmad Faraz. Darwaish had inserted this video in a recent post of Pakistan’s multiple crises, but I think it is worth re-inserting here.
It is am immensely powerful poem. Those of you who have heard it might want to hear it again. Those who have not, urge you to do so. In both cases, do please think about what he is saying. A few lines from the poem worth thinking about as we grieve, yet again, the loss of innocent lives at the hands of those who wish to prove the ‘righteousness’ of their cause by violence, murder and mayhem.
On how none of this is new and how the result is always a heightening of ethnic, sectarian and other ‘differences’. Note the “phir say tou kouN hai, meiN kouN houN, aapas meiN sawal” [once again, we ask each other: who are you? who am I?]
phir wohe aag dar aaye hai mairi galiyoun mein
phir mairey shehr mein barood ki boo phaili hai
phir say tou kouN hai, meiN kouN houN, aapas meiN sawal
phir wohi soch miyan-i-mann-o-tou phaili hai
On how we are sp quick to blame ‘outsiders’ for our misery, as if we had no hand in it ourselves. Note the “ mairey seenay meiN sadda apna he khanjar utra” [it has always been my own dagger that has pierced my heart]
mairi basti say parrey bhi mairey dushman houN gay
par yahaN kabb koee aghyaar ka lashkar uttra
aashna haath he aksar mairey janab labkay
mairey seenay meiN sadda apna he khanjar utra
This part is my favorite. About how fear (khouf) and uncertainty (tazabzub) rules, and how much havoc is brought forth by those who use the rhetoric of patriotism (naara-i-hubb-i-watan) and of religion. Note the “ naara-i-hubb-i-watan maal-i-tajarat ki tarhaaN“ [slogans of patriotism are traded like commodity in a bazaar] and the “ jinss-i-arzaaN ki tarhaaN deen-i-khuda ki baateiN” [talk of religion has become like a commodity in over-supply].
phir wohi khauf ki deewar, tazabzub ki faza
phir hoeeN aam wohoee ahl-i-riya ki baateiN
naara-i-hubb-i-watan maal-i-tajarat ki tarhaaN
jinss-i-arzaaN ki tarhaaN deen-i-khuda ki baateiN
And he ends with these words of hope that give me great solace. When he talks about “mairey dilgeer, mairey dard kay maarey logou” he seems to be talking to us directly today. But the real kicker is in the last two lines: “ kissi ghasib, kissi zalim, kissi qatil kay leeaye, khod ko taqseem na karna, mairey saarey logou” [do not, O please do not, let the usurpers, the tyrants, the murders divide you into factions].
aaj aisa nahiN, aisa nahiN honay daina
aye mairey sokhta jaano, mairey piyarey logou
abb kay gar zalzalay aaye tou qiyamat ho ge
mairey dilgeer, mairey dard kay maarey logou
kissi ghasib, kissi zalim, kissi qatil kay leeaye
khod ko taqseem na karna, mairey saarey logou
Now only Allah can save pakistan
AOA to alls
Today Pakistan goes to very typical situation because Pakistan is an Islamic coutry and Islam is a pieceful reliogn. There is no rule in Pakistan.It is a sad for Pakistan.A pieceful country ressponsibilty is to make piece in their counrty. Our leaders are not to be thought about that’s sides.They could to stop these blast but they couldnot.Why?……
I request to all Pakistanis Please stop the bomb blasting.I pray to my God “Give us unity”then we can stop the blasts.
These are powerful words. I hope everyone pays attention to them. Specially:
naara-i-hubb-i-watan maal-i-tajarat ki tarhaaN
jinss-i-arzaaN ki tarhaaN deen-i-khuda ki baateiN
Just last week I was hosting couple of guests from Lahore – while waiting for the third one, who was to board the flight from there on that wretched day of the suicide bombing. And the feeling of the hurt and pain, as we tried via phone calls and SMSs – making sure our friend made it to the airport and than on to the plane. And now just a day after attending an ghazal event wherein Ahmad Faraz’s poems were the highlight of the evening (“ranjish hi sahi dil hi dukhaane ke liye aa”) - humming all night and the following day when the news of Karachi bomb blast and Faraz’s poetry in this post again - what overwhelming melancholy coincidences!
“The creepy part is that as witness to violence, I see that there is little to distinguish the perpetrators from those who vested with responsibility to provide security against the perpetrators, or those vested with rights to fight wars against terror… And it is this that makes every Pakistani fear the garrison state and the terrorist alike.” Very thought-provoking article by Nafisa Shah in yesterday’s The News “Of Suicide Bombing”.
“The politics of violence, of uncertainity, of extremism and of military authoritarianism comes together to create a sense of helplessness.”
Thanks, Adil sahab for giving substance to Faraz’s verses with your equally powerful post – albeit offer no solace – nevertheless, catharsis to our pangs and yearnings. The solace will come when the status quo is dismantled and those who seem invincible will be booted out from their kurshies and a new, humane and truly independent and democratic Pakistani society will begin to emerge. Where there would be no room for terrorism. Where to religion and ethnic ‘bigots there would be no sanction, and to persecution no assistance’. Ameen.
aankhoN meN chhupaaye ashkoN ko
honToN meN wafa ke bol liye
is jashn meN maiN bhi shaamil hooN
nauhoN se bhara kashkol liye
(Ahmad Faraz)
What more is there left to say – we might just post a permanent condolence banner on top of such posts.
First step of newly elected parliament should be to impeach Musharraf. Clown is offering PM post to Shahbaz Sharif, man has lost his brain, will do anything to hold on to office.
Impeach Musharraf
The comments on this post show exactly how Musharraf has really failed the nation. He has been so bad and has lost so much credibility that people will rather blame him than the extremists for the mess we are in. It is clear that these bombings and attacks are the work of religious extremists but the reason our anger is directed at Musharraf is that he is in fact a total failure and he has created the conditions in which this extremism is thriving.
The problem is that while blaming Musharraf is right, ignoring the extremists in the process only means that the extremists win. That is what they want, if people become afraid enough and if there is enough chaos in the society then our own Talibans and extremists can come and say “well everyone else failed, now you should give us a chance.” And many of us will be so tired of this nonsense and killing by then that we might say, OK. That is what teh extremist agenda is in destabilizing society.
But Musharraf cannot solve thsi problem fr us. As was already said, we need two things: Musharraf out and Extremism out. Our anger should be directed at both, not just one.
Actually Musharaf is Allah’s curse on Pakistanis.
I don’t think its going to stop now, ‘they’ want to make Pakistan’s condition same as Iraq and Afghanistan.
Its a shame we have a traitor leader like Musharaf. May Allah’s curse be on you always, Ameen