Adil Najam
This montage of headlines from Dawn need little explanation. It represents seven headlines; one each from each of the last seven days (Nov. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14, 2009). All except one were headlines on Dawn, and one (Nov. 13, 2009) was on the back page. The fact that the killing of 17 Pakistani soldiers will not make it to the front page of a Pakistani newspaper is itself a stern reminder of the craziness that defines our polity today!
There is little ‘news value’ in this montage. But, maybe it deserves just a moment’s silence from all of us. Maybe a moment of reflection on that which is truly important.
We post this merely as a reminder to ourselves that Pakistan remains at war. Pakistanis remain under attack. Our territory remains occupied by the enemy. The relentness of the violence can nudge the routine daily ugliness into the background and the seductiveness of tiltilating conspiracies and scandals can provide ready relief even to those whose job it is to keep reminding us of that which is truly existential for all our futures.
And so, we post this as a reminder to ourselves. Pakistan remains at war. Pakistanis continue to die. Pakistan continues to cry. Lest we forget.
@Gardezi,
I find it slanderous that you accuse me of being a Taliban spokesman. All I am doing is putting accross the other view point in order for the public to gain a more complete picture. The link I provided was an Al Jazeera English news link – a channel that is broadcast all over the world including in the UK. Are you saying that they are a Taliban mouthpiece? You sound like one of those far-right American politicians, like George Bush who once said “if you’re not with us, then you’re with the terrorists”.
I find your narrowness unpatriotic.
And what are your views on Blackwater and the CIA? Are they in Pakistan on an innocent holiday? Those that turn a blind eye to these foreign criminals – they are the true enemies of Pakistan and the wider ummah.
I salute the brave police of Peshawar for the way they are sacrificing their lives for our safety. They are really trying with their meagre sources and outdated weapons and negligible training. But still they are really tring their best. It is in fact negligence of the government that they are unable to provide scanners for a city terribly hit like Peshawar. It is a criminal act on part of government.
@Zecchetti
WOW. And you woudl actually believe a Taliban spokesman. A spokesman from a group whose goal is to kill Pakistanis everywhere, especially to kill Pashtuns and whose purpose is to destroy Pakistan. A group that kills and lies and is destroying my country as well as my religion. WOW. And you support and believe these guys!
But then from your comment sounds like you are a Taliban spokesman yourself!
Here’s something Dawn did not report:
Pakistan Taliban air video denial.
http://tinyurl.com/yk9v4wb
“Azam Tariq, a spokesman of the Tehreek e-Taliban, posted the video statement on YouTube on Monday.
The message refers to a bombing at the Islamic University in Islamabad, which the spokesman said was orchestrated to prepare the ground for a military operation in South Waziristan, a stronghold for Pakistan’s Taliban fighters.
He also said his group had no role in the bomb blast in a Peshawar market that killed at least 100 people as well as an attack in Charsada, a town located in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province.
Tariq said Taliban attacks never aimed to target civilians, but that the explosions were linked to Blackwater activities in the country.
Blackwater is a private military and security company founded in the United States.”
The Pakistani operation in South Waziristan is an ongoing activity, yet it is undermined by issues like the NRO and Sugar Crisis. Why can not the media act more responsibly and focus on the issue at hand?