Adil Najam
I open the ‘top stories’ page of The News today and two headlines scream out at me. The first tells me that twelve people, including three women and two children have died in a US drone attack in Orakzai. The second tells me that militants have killed five in an ambush on a police van in Dir. All this while the tears from the carnage at Lahore are not yet dry. For what? For whom? Why?
The Americans tell us that they must do what they are doing because they have to stamp out terror. The militants say that they too must do what they are doing because they are fighting the enemies of Islam.
All I know is that it is Pakistanis who continue to do the dying. For what? For whom? Why?
For the life of me I cannot understand how the US thinks it will root out terror by lobbing bombs at Pakistani women and children. Nor how these militants think they are helping Islam or fighting America by killing Muslims and Pakistani, bombing girls schools, or terrorizing civilian populations.
It is obvious that the Americans are not winning their “war on terror” through these tactics. Nor are the militants and extremists making any dent in America or its policies through their terror. Every minute of every day is a reminder of the face that terror has not been “defeated,” nor is Islam any more “safe.” All we know for sure is that innocent Pakistanis are dying. For what? For whom? Why?
The Obama Administration says it will give Pakistan $1.5 billion a year for development. Economists estimate that the war on terror cost Pakistan $6-8 billion last year. I don’t find either number relevant. All I know is that over a thousand Pakistanis died last year in this conflict. For what? For whom? Why?
The newspapers are full of statements and analysis. They offer little solace, and even less insight. They only add to a noise that is now no less deafening than all the bombs themselves. We must speak out and act up against the forces that spread terror in our country. But we cannot remain silent on the deaths of Pakistanis by those who claim to be our friends.
No one seems to care about the death of ordinary Pakistanis. They deaths don’t even merit a statement of condolence, of remorse. Everyone seems to have a ‘great cause’ to fight for. A cause greater than the life of a child, a mother, a father. The Americans have ‘Terror’ to fight. The religious extremists and militants have ‘Islam’ to save. The Pakistan government has no clue who or what they are fighting for, with or against. In the midst of all of this, ordinary Pakistanis become mere ‘collateral.’ For what? For whom? Why?
Today, my words are not the voice of analysis. Today, my voice is the voice of angst. I know that my words will make little difference. I know my voice has neither reach nor influence. But let me say to all and any who may be out there to listen: We are not collateral.
And so, today, once again, its was Pakistanis who died. Pakistanis who cried (1, 2, 3). For what? For whom? Why?
(Note: Pictures above are from funerals of those who died during the terrorist attacks in Lahore).
One thing I don’t understand about the title is that it says Pakistanis cry. For what? For whom? Why? We cry for the people who lose their lives. IMHO, shouldn’t the title just be Pakistanis Die. For what? For whom? Why?
Very well written.
Well we have been contemplating the useless deaths for ages, even since the inception of Pakistan. Imagine what the MQM has done in Karachi? And the massive patients who have died in the ambulances as the VVIP traffic made the traffic come to a holt? Have you forgotten how late we were to save the earth quake victims? Do you recall that we have sectarianism of Sunni and Shias? Aimless killing is everywhere. Talibans have just been added to the top. Really, we need to rethink.
What I dont understand is that why arent the major politicians targets as taliban attacks? Why only the poor and innocent?Here is a poem I wrote some verses
we will have no tomorrow
if we will comprise on our todays
for our yesterdays haunt us still
we live in coffins day to day
our breathes vomit our existance
are we still alive?
really?
http://buildpakistantogether.blogspot.com/
Very well written and thoughtful.
There is a small minority (0.000002%) — of crazed barbarian Muslims — among the 1.2 billion of an otherwise normal run of the mill, us Muslims — that possesses a grotesque bizarre view of an otherwise normal – run of the mill — peaceful to the core religion. This minority practices a totally distorted immoral weird un-culture — of murder, mayhem, human beheadings, throat slitting, suicide bombing of innocent Muslim women and children – in the name of puritan ‘Islamic piety’ – hiding behind their piety-dripping beards and the black turbans — a cruel sadistic heart — and a deranged violent psychopathic mind — that are as pitilessly dark and wrinkled — as the dark creases of their dark black turbans.And to this cabal of out of control criminals and murderers the Pakistan presidency and the world’s seventh largest army — ceded the sovereignty of a precious paradise of Pakistan called Swat – to administer ‘justice’ and ‘rule of law’ over the hapless populace terrorized day and night by the very same criminals for the past 10 years. How cruel!The horrifying beating in public– meted out to this poor Swati girl – for her ‘sin’ — (seen through the deprived and depraved eyes of an illiterate ‘wahshi’ Taliban - tortured and tormented by his own ‘virtue’ obsessed lecherous psyche) — of coming out of the house with her father-in-law – is no surprise — considering the appalling degree of their ignorance, pathetic level of their illiteracy and the depth of their hardened criminal past – what is surprising is that the girl was not half buried in the ground and stoned to death in the celebrated –’Zehri Tradition’ — as that Nang-e Qaum Nang-e Deen and Nang-e Nam na-Muslim Muslim Khan — would claim that the people of Pakistan should be thankful that the Pakistani Taliban did not put a bullet in the Burqa clad head of the poor girl in the Qaddafi stadium – that because they are more ‘humane’ than their Afghani counterparts. People should thank na-Muslim Khan for that public humanity of sparing if not anything else — the ‘head’ — of the victim.Standing before a cabal of such hardcore criminals – when the subcontinent’s 700,000 strong, 2nd largest army of the subcontinent — and a 160 million people backed presidency – combined — could not stare down the murderers eye ball to eye ball into submission to State’s Rule of Law – instead capitulated and ceded the sovereignty of the government territory — on a platter — to a bunch of cruel lawless thugs — giving them the right to administer ‘quick justice’ and pimp their brand of – the rule of the jungle — as the ‘rule of law’ — upon their victim populace. Instead of asking the Rule of Law Lone Ranger — CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry — how quickly the Chief Justice — (who has no army, no police no tanks no helicopters no drones at his disposal) — when and how soon will the CJ punish the woman-beater Talib for his crime – the people should be asking Zardari, Gilani, and Kiyani and their brazenly lying secretariat from NWFP to Islamabad — covering for the brazenly lying — “never-happened” — ‘pious’ Maulanas — when and what the Zardaris are going to do about this Pakistan-demeaning — Muslima-insulting — woman-abusing criminal act — and how ‘quickly’.Shame on the bearded ones and shame on the clean-shaven ones – with one exception — the Hero of Moment — Altaf Hussain — and his secular non-misogynous MQM – who was the only one to stand up to the cowards and declare — if Pakistan will be Talibanized — it will Talibanize over the dead bodies of the MQM. The rest are just the breast- beating paper tigers including that clean-shaven new apologist for the Talibans — Imran Khan. Shame on Imran Khan for how high he was and how low he has stooped finally.What it tells me — that if the terrible Talibans are barbarian by their murderous kinky acts of commission – most of us mealy-mouth Muslims are no less barbarians by our equally capitulating — looking the other way — “uzr-e gunaah” — acts of omission.The brutal barbaric public beating of Chand Bibi is the last straw that broke the back of the Talibani kinky killer camel — (with my full apology to a most magnificent noble animal) — the writing on the wall for Pakistan says — either Pakistan lives and the likes of Baitullahs, Fazlullahs, Hakimullahs hang — or Pakistan hangs and the Talibans live — a question of survival of Pakistan – not of the USA — the US will live whether Pakistan lives or dies.
I must say that Pakistanis are the most confused people in the world and Adil, your article only added to that confusion, like every media outlet has done on this issue.
Nobody is realizing the fact that our country is falling apart and we are looking around clueless, trying to find a hidden conspiracy, while conveniently ignoring the real facts.
Blindly hating America will not help us when Talibans take over the country piece by piece and our country disintegrates.
If you think that the disintegration is not a possibility, just pay close attention to the statements of a particular “leader” who has been a staunch opponent of Talibans and have been urging the citizens to start buying arms.
It appears the international forces that be have written off Pakistan as, in the words of Bush, ‘Not with us’ and decided to close the noose around its neck. The government of Pakistan seems to have become irrelevant for them. The Western powers are mainly concerned only with its, so called, ‘Nuclear assets’ which, they fear, are in danger of being taken over by the extremists who may cause havoc for the world. May God help us!
We will never allow injustice to be forced upon us.
We will fight back.