Adil Najam
This photograph from the Swat region needs little commentary, but deserves much thought.
The caption from Associated Press (photograph by Sherin Zada), reads in part:
A youngster sits beside his belongings as he waits for his parents to cross a river as they flee from a troubled area in Imam Dheri near Mingora, the main town of Pakistan’s Swat Valley, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009.
One wonders what is going through the child’s head. With the Taliban after his body and soul, with civilian casualties in the military operation in Swat mounting, with American drone attacks in the tribal belt further away, and with a polity in chaos in the rest of the country, it is not as if he has too many options to fall back on. He seems to be looking pensively (possibly across the river); but to what?
First, a correction in my previous post: Please read ‘lost’ for ‘last’ in the 5th line.
@Bloody Civilian
What is ironic in my pseudonym? Please elaborate.
My point was why don’t they sort it out by discussion instead of jamming the F. Lullah FM radio why can’t they enforce SHARIA on F. L. before he does that on us? Can’t he be charged with creating ‘fassad’ under Sharia?
My first impression was how sad that this child is now homeless and with few possession sitting alone waiting…. However after viewing the picture a little longer I see this child as a survivor, insha’allah, and he represents strength and hope for the future!
May many more escape and survive!
@readinglord
ironic psuedonym ;) Sorry just pulling your leg. I didn’t say they were after FM transmitters. The MoD has invited bids for procuring scanners and equipment which will help them find/locate/pinpoint the FM transmitters being used by the militants… ever since 1994! Such equipment has been easily available for decades, by the way.
@Bloody Civilian
You say:
“Floating a tender for FM transmitter spotting equipment, available in any trade catalogue, only a few days ago, is a good start.”
I wonder why are they after the FM transmitters. Have they admittedly last even the propaganda war with the Taliban?
The problem is that both sides are using or abusing the fair name of Islam - one side doing so moderately and the other one rather extremely. Naturally, the extremist has the upper hand.
Now take the issue of woman’s education. The moderates quote an Hadees to the effect that education is a ‘fareezah’ (obligatory) both for men and women. But as far as I know even Imam Ghazali was not aware of this hadees as I could gather from his book ‘Ehyaae Aloom’.
Can any body refer me to the relevant source of the hadees?
@ Amir Ali
“Its not just jawans who have sacrificed their lives in this terror war, majors, colonels and generals have also been killed”.
I agree with you.
And so have countless others from inocent children to prime ministerial candidates.
Each on of those who shed their blood; whether in or out of uniform, who died for the ideal of a free constitutionally run and independant Pakistan were martyrs and should not be forgotten.
More importantly it is for those who are living to see that they have not died in vain.
Any breech of this ideal is a breech of Pakistani sovereignity.
It is unimportant whether this breech is by by someone using a drone attack or an AK-47 to terrorise its people.
Such a breech should be equally condemned by all segments of its society.
Only the constitutionaly elected government of Pakistan and its security forces have the right to use force in its territory.
Once this is accepted by all Pakistanis; only then can the nation truely emerge to live up to the hopes and dreams of its founders.
Only then can it truely honor those martyrs who have shed their blood.
Fighting for or standing up for anything less than this ideal is nothing but petty tribal warfare.
Its not just jawans who have sacrificed their lives in this terror war, majors, colonels and generals have also been killed.
However that doesn’t matter to a particular breed of Pakistanis.