Adil Najam
The news is developing by the moment. But the bottom-line is clear. The security forces have taken control of the Lal Masjid from militants after a severe gun-battle. But the story is far from over.
It will continue to unfold. There are too many unanswered questions. They will certainly be asked and discussed threadbare; here at ATP and elsewhere. But the real story of tomorrow remains the same as the real story of yesterday. Can a society that is so deeply divided against itself learn the lessons of tolerance? This question will continue to haunt us well into the future, in multiple shapes, in multiple forms, in multiple contexts.
This is a question that we at ATP have confronted from our very beginning and will continue to confront. But now is not the time to ponder on this. Even though what has happened had become inevitable over the last many days, I am too heartbroken to be able to do so.
Right now I can think only of Muzammil Shah (photo, from Associated Press, above). This photo was taken as he waited for his son who was inside the Lal Masjid. I do not know whether his son was there voluntarily, or as hostage. But I do know what the look of Muzammil Shah’s face means. The more important question is whether his son came out alive or not. I pray that he did.
Analysts – me included – will discuss what happened at length. They will try to understand the meaning of all this. What does this mean for Pakistan politics? What does this mean for Gen. Musharraf’s future? What does this mean for Islam? For Democracy? Does the fault lie with Abdul Rashid Ghazi and his militant supporters for creating a situation that could only end this way? Why did he not surrender? Is the blood of everyone who died not on his head for his stubboness and arrogance? Or, maybe, it is the government that is to blame because it did not act earlier? Act differently? Waited just a few days more for a negotiated solution?
Right now all these questions seem really petty and small. This is not the time for scoring cheap political points. This is not the time for spin.
Moreover, there are too many questions to ask. To answer. The head hurts as you think of them. But the heart hurts even more as you look at the face of Muzammil Shah.
Maybe the only really important question is the one that you can read between his wrinkles: “Why? Oh God, why? Why must things happen this way?”
those, who are extrimists, are our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters.
they are not our enemy.
yes, they are mis-guided and have forgotten their right path, but they are our own people. they need our love and guidance. they need our concentration. they are not at all entitled to be bombed, killed and massacred.
who mis-guided them?
who taught them of jihad?
who brought them into this mess?
the america, britain and pakistani american and british back dictators.
if, they are extrimists, their lesson of extrimism came from america and britain.
if, they are terrorists, their lesson of terrorism came from america and britain.
why dont we tell this more boldly?
why dont we protest against america and britain for their misguiding activities against our own innocent people in 80s?
yesterday, it was american and british order to pakistan to prepare extrimists to fight against russia,
today, it is american and british order to kill and eliminate all extrimists because russian job has been fulfilled.
but, these people are not japanese toys,
they are our brothers and sisters,
they are human beings,
they are muslims,
we can not massacre them because of american and british orders,
we should educate them,
we should guide them,
we should allocate funds for them as we had once allocated funds to make them extrimists to fight against russia,
we can not allow america and britain to insult muslims in the pretext of these american and british created terrorists and extrimists.
As if the politicians and the Maulanas were not enough , now the Supereme Court has also jumped in the band wagon by dictating to the govt to provide air passage to the relatives of Maulana Ghazi for his funeral.
Seems everyone around wants thier fifteen minutes of fame !
Ofcourse the disection of the entire past scenario of the Lal Masjid goes on. The people who were previously blaming the govt for not taking action and indulging in delaying tactics are now saying that the govt was too hasty in thier operation. Those that come up with all kinds of reasons why the govt should NOT have done what it has done and how it has done it , do not at any point, in the past or now come up with an alternative strategy. All they do is make mischief and stir up things for a fifteen second clip on Geo/ARY/Pakistaniat.
Will this nation ever improve its ficklemindedness and stop indulging in menial debates ?
JO NATIONS APNI SHANAKHT BHOOL JATI HAIN, TAREEKH UN KO BHULA DETI HAIN
AS A NATION WHAT IS OUR SHANAKHT?? WE MUST PONDER BEFORE MAKING ANY STATEMENT
SECONDLY INDIVILISM SHOULD NOT RIDE ON UR MIND WHILE WRITING OPINION. NO HATE, NO LIKING, JUST IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS
Bhindi, what is pointless for me would not be pointless for other, the terms you mentioned are relative just like definition of “terrorism”. So it doesn’t matter me at all.
Actually you guys should be ashamed of your own attitude. You guys should learn one lesson today/tonight[depends on your time zone] that when you come out to give lesson of freedom of expression and liberty to those who defend “molvis” and call them backwards just because they react just like YOU people reacting on my statement then you should have enough courage to tolerate same from others. As some shair said, Aina dekh kar apna sa moo ley kar rah gayee – :-)
Adnan, you call Edhi’s words “babble”. I wonder what you would call your own long-winded, usually pointless, irrelevant, ill-argued and barely literate e-mails?
As Pakistaniat reader said above, kuch sharam karo.