Adil Najam
This was another bad week for Pakistanis. Our closest international ally continued bombing our territory. The self-style custodians of our morality kept up the indiscriminate killing of our citizen. One of our most popular television show anchors incited murder in the name of religion through television.
Once again, this was a week when Pakistanis died. Pakistanis cried.
The political machinations in the country continue to be a distraction that is keeping many, too many, glued to the soap opera quality twists and turns in the story of Pakistan’s tortured democratic experiment. But the real story in the country remains what it has for the last two years: a divided society which is at war. Niether the self-styled custodians of our internal identity nor our self-styled freinds abroad seem to be helping. Indeed, they keep making things worse for Pakistanis everywhere.
Meanwhile, Pakistanis continue to die. Pakistan continues to cry.
Whether it is pre-US-election posturing or a deeper shift in US policy, it is clear that the American forces have increased their military incursions into Pakistani territory. Beyond the fact that this is clearly a violation of the sovereign territory of a country they claim to be their ‘closest all,’ one cannot even imagine what the strategic logic of these incursions could possibly be since each incursion only strengthens the hand of the extremist elements that are supposedly after, angers Pakistani public opinion, and pushes the Pakistan goevrnment into a tighter corner. There is no real evidence that they have hit any important militant target but innocent Pakistanis, including children, women and even Pakistani soldiers have certainly been killed; 15 killed this Wednesday; 12 more on Friday.
Meanwhile. Pakistanis continue to die. Pakistan continues to cry.
Meanwhile, the merchants of murder and mayhem thrive even more in this condition and continue their war against Pakistan. Indeed, they seem now to be targetting the places of worship themselves. Only today an alleged suicide bomber was caught in Islamabad. On Thursday, 25 died in a grenade attack at a mosque in the Banai area of Dir during taraweeh prayers. Last Saturday, even as Asif Ali Zardari was being elected President, 31 people were killed and another 81 others injured as a suicide bomber blew himself and his vehicle up at the Zangali police post at Kohat Road, Peshawar.
Meanwhile. Pakistanis continue to die. Pakistan continues to cry.
And those who one might have wanted to bring calm and lessons of peace, are themselves engrossed in preaching hate, and in this case murder, to mass audiences. On September 7, Aamir Liaquat Hussain – GEO TV’s popular religious talk-show anchor, former MQM Minister, a holder of multiple fake degrees, and religious instigator extraordinaire – in his GEO TV Show Alim Online presided over a long discussion instigating that those holding Ahmadiyya beliefs were ‘wajib ul qatl’ (i.e., liable to death). The next day, Dr. Abdul Mannan Siddiqi – a 46 year-old Ahmadi in Mirpurkhas and a US-trained cardiologist who had retruned to work in his community – was murdered in broad daylight while working at his local hospital. The next day, Seth Muhammad Yousuf of Nawabshah was also murdered brutally. Whether there is a direct link between the two or not, the preaching of hatred and the practice of hatred both thrive in our land of the pure.
Meanwhile. Pakistanis continue to die. Pakistan continues to cry.
One sits here, shaken by sadness at this waste of human life, and wonders: at how many hands and for how many reasons should Pakistanis die? How long must Pakistan cry?
Thank you for raising these issues. This is another reminder of what a terrible mess Gen. Musharraf has left this country in. All these events are the direct results of all the blunders he made from foreign policy to domestic politics.
This writeup raises three very critical issues. The US attacks in Pakistan, the continued attacks on Pakistan by religious extremists, and hate speech on TV. In some ways because all three important issues are raised together it becomes difficult to comment on them. But I think the real contribution of this post is that it does raise these three issues together even though most commentators are talking about them separately. By thinking of them together we begin to realize the real crisis we are in and how much connected these are. Specially, all three are killing Pakistanis and none of these people really care much about Pakistan, only about their crazy ideologies.
This is utterly condemnable act. I was shocked by the news of Qadiyani doctor’s death who was serving his community. Whether a person is a kafir or muslim, as long as he/she is a citizen of Pakistan so shall their rights be respected and secured. The law if it had prevailed would have safegaurded the lives of its citizen. Someone the other day sent me a verse of Iqbal with an advice “pewasta rah shajr se umeede bahar rakh”. In times of trials and tribulations we must be more hopeful then at any other times.
On the second account, the United States is one of the most unfortunate country in our times more so then Pakistan, I should say and they need more help then Pakistan.
This nation that has around 3 centuries of unbroken chain of successive governments and adheres to democractic tradition is being led by leadership that has squandered its credibility among international community but does not budge for a moment from its insane policies and practices. What a stubbornness and shortsightedness!!!
Talibans in Suits and Ties.
Today I solemnely pray for America. May God provide United State of American leadership it deserves and may people of United State do not fall prey to same fundamentalist disease that we have fallen into.
At least we can teach something to United States advantages of backwardness”
All this mayhem is the natural result of ‘Bhuttoism’ which had subverted the Constitution of Pakistan to make it a ‘Takfeeri Fatwa’ on the ideological side and instigated the oil exporting countries to use oil as a political weapon which hit the people of Pakistan the most economically. And above all their nuclear project has led the people virtually to eat grass placing at the same time the security of Pakistan at peril. May God save Pakistan from fake ‘Jialaas’.
At a time when Muslims are perceived as the worst of people in the eyes of the world with acts of mindless destruction and corruption, the Ahmadiyya Muslim community have stood out as model ambassadors for all that is good and pure in Islam. They embody the peaceful practice of Islam and are renowned for their humanitarian work. There is a wave of revulsion around the world at Pakistan’s treatment of Ahmadis which is indicative of how low the country has sunk- and continues to sink into a mire of Talibinisation. It will be Shias and other minorities next on the target list and then women. Wake up Pakistan -there is no priesthood in Islam. Follow Islam-not Mullahism.