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?
@Ayesha– Basic elements of Islam are Kalma, Namaz, Roza, Haj and Zakat.
I’ve been working with ahmedis and i think they believe in all and they are Kalma Go, they say same Kalma as we do and same Quran as we have.
In one of the battles in Islamic History Hazarat Ali was about to kill a person and he narrated Kalma to save his life but even then he killed him and when Hazrat Mohammad came to know he was so worried and said Ali, how i will asked God for your forgiveness
@ D_a_n, well said, i totally agree with you
@Abubakar–needs to clarify his knowledge about Islam. Hazrat Mohammad(PBUH) was REHMATUL-LIL-AALAMEEN, how come he can ask for killing inoccent people on the basis of their believes? He was not REHMAT only for muslim but for the whole universe.
What he did with Taif people, Allah Asked Mohammed to destroy them? but he asked for mercy for them.
Did you forget one Jew woman used to through trash on him and one day she didn’t and Hazrat Mohammad asked some body to check if she is sick or having another problem.
This was his teachings and SUNNAT.
Ibrahim sb can you prove this anywhere from Quran, if anybody is WAJI-BUL-QATAL?
Image of Islam is ruined due to this mentality where in fact Islam is religion of peace.
Amir Liaqat Repluses me on a daily basis…and I remember running around my apartment getting things ready for Iftar and had Geo on the TV (i just do it for the Iftar Dua and Azan on TV as I live abroad) and his Ahmedi discussion was on…
I thought to myself that what a stupid topic to waste an evening of Ramazan on…..instead of talking about how to improve as a Momin during this holy month…he’s talking pure politics and causing divisions…which we need like a hole in the head…and as a matter of fact…the quality of questions on his show is absolutely pathetic….90% of the questions are asinine and have nothing to do with Deen….which again shows the state of mind of his audience….but that is another issue….
This man is an utter waste of space and the less said about his loony brother the better…am not a fan of the MQM but excellent step by them to expel this man…I wont call him an idiot because he is not…this Liaqat is a very calculating man who is proabably in his own mind trying to create constituency for himself among a certain type of folks….i might be wrong but that sure seems the case…
and again uter Shame on Geo for allowing such Garbage on the air…it’s times like these that I wish they were still Banned….this channel DELIBERATELY distorts and over simplifies nation and international issues…produces absolute junk journalism…Mis informs people… and is responsible for giving us hacks like Shahid Masood and Hamid Mir (who thinks that suicide bombers are doing what they do because of a lack of electricity and health care!!!!)…this channel routely drags every issue down to the populist level and dumbing us down even further with its comemntary and reporting..and is a Desi Version of Fox news…
Down with Amir Liaqat…and The Hell with Geo for STILL allowing Amir Liaqat on TV…
I am not an Ahmadi but I do believe that they have every right to life as a citizen of Pakistan and are NOT wajib ul Qatl….Allah will judge them like he will the rest of us..
and last but not least…@ Ibrahim:
the more you comment on this forum the more I am convinced that you have staryed so far from compassion and humanity that you probably dont even recognise your own Deen anymore…
plus please stop making stuff up…some of us here have read a book of two..which is more than I can say for you Sir…
I am greatful that you make this point. In all these things it is Pakistanis dying. If we Pakistanis keep killing other Pakistanis so easily then no outsider will repsect us and they will do the same, just like they are doing.
Sadly, what is happening in Pakistan is not unique. The news of intolerance, abuse and hate crimes, continue to pour out of various parts of South Asia and the Muslim world. Unfortunately, the threats are issued and crimes committed in the name of religion or tradition or ethnicity. What gets reported is probably only the tip of the iceberg. To learn more, please read: http://www.riazhaq.com/2008/09/agents-of-intoleran ce.html