Adil Najam
Pakistan is in tears today. Yet again.
70+ people are dead in Wah today, as yet another cursed suicide bomber targets Pakistan and Pakistanis. The Tehrik-i-Taliban has taken responsibility for them. Only two days ago, 32 people were killed in a suicide attack on a hospital in the northern town of Dera Ismail Khan. Meanwhile incursions and attacks into Pakistani territory by American forces continue and fighting between militants and Pakistani forces rages in Bajur and other areas, killing even more.
In what continues to be war on and in Pakistan, Pakistanis continue to die. Pakistan continues to cry.
Some will call it the largest legacy of the Musharraf years. Some will read unstated messages within this murder and mayhem by these killers. Others will see it as the price in dead bodies that Pakistan pays in the War on Terror. Yet others will remind us that this is reaping what Gen. Zia-ul-haq sowed. There will be, I am sure, plenty more pontifications too – ranging from the absurd to the absurdly profound.
All I know is that today, yet again, Pakistanis die. Pakistan continues to cry.
Why must this murder and mayhem continue? I ask. When will it end? These, of course, are absurd questions themselves. Because we all know the answers. It will continue for as long as we let the killers kill and support their murders with our silence. Silence, of course, also kills. And some are condemned to cry silently.
How can the Pakistanis condemn this?
They have their own lives to worry about. If this sounds selfish, and it probably is, that’s too bad – but this is also the reality. When the internal structure of Pakistan is repaired and strengthened into a functioning society – only then can some semblance of normalcy be even achieved. Right now, the Pakistanis lead a chaotic life. At the highest levels, the judiciary has been sacked, preventing all the citizens of Pakistan from obtaining any kind of justice, should a case even develop from the cobwebbed registers of the corrupt policemen. And at the lowest levels, we have these suicide bombings, which will continue as long as Pakistan is weak in its governance.
Actually, to follow up with my earlier comment.
I always have a glimmer of hope, virtually every week. But these sort of events, the deteriorating conditions in the country, the carelessness (as in politicians not giving a $hit about the citizens) etc., leads me to change my stance.
Beautifully written.
This is challenge number one and issue number one for Pakistan. Everything else is secondary. I do not care what Zardari or Nawaz do personally but they must focus on this war against Pakistan now and stop it. Musharraf has sown these seeds of hatred and it will not be easy to undo what he has done, but an elected government certainly has a better chance to create a united Pakistan against these Taliban murderers.
I am not even sorry to say, but I don’t think Pakistan, economy, politics, government etc will grow or improve at sustainable levels. Time and Time again, various events have occurred which has led me to conclude that.
Granted I was not present in the first 30 decades of this creation and I wont be present after another few decades to see if I was right or wrong, but I am not sure if Pakistan will be Pakistan by then either.
Time to put differences behind and focus on real issues , I even think Judge issue should be put behind for the same reason. Let Zardari be the first to be on top and the first to be down. MQM is not dumb.