Adil Najam
Pakistan remains at war. Whether it is schoolgirls in Lower Dir or Shia mourners and those waiting outside Jinnah Hospital in Karachi. All Pakistanis everywhere are targets for these murderous enemies of Pakistan.
It may be true that we do not have many friends abroad. But it is certainly clear that our cruelest enemies are all amongst us.
Day in, day out, they kill and maim and terrorize Pakistanis all across Pakistan. No city is safe. No Pakistani is safe. The ritual is now well entrenched. We mourn our dead. We cry. And just as the tears begin to dry, we are called upon to mourn some more. To cry, again.
The tears are unavoidable, and maybe even necessary. But they are no longer sufficient.
Let us begin, at least, by refusing to tolerate any excuse, any justification, any argument for such violence. Denial must no longer be an option. Yes, there may be forces great and small that are against us. Yes, Pakistanis are being killed also by outsiders too. Yes, the world is an unfair and unjust place. Yes, the wheels of history are complicated. All that, and more, may be as it is. But it is our children who are doing the dying. Everyday. Everywhere.
Those who train themselves to commit such acts – in whose ever name and for whatever purpose they do so – make no excuses for what they do. No excuses must be made for them either.
Let us listen, once again, to how the enemies of Pakistan justify this murder and mayhem:
دیدنی ہے وحشت اولاد آدم ان دنوں
آسمانوں پر خدا کا قہر سناٹے میں ہے
Unfortunately, there is no quick solution to these problems. There is no switch that can be thrown to turn off this horror movie. We simply have to deal with this situation patiently, remembering that we did not get here over night and we are not going to get out of here by tomorrow. We need to hold each other’s hands, put our heads together, listen to each other and try to figure out, without getting angry, how we dig ourselves out of this hell hole. It is not going to be easy.
I dont understand why people are after MQM. Are they afraid or jealous of their success?
Its distracting the real issue, the ignorance. I think MQM is the best thing happened to pakistan like a mushroom growing in the puddle.
Why cant they (hatemongers) look innerself and check out the serious skeleton in their own closet. I have not seen more diciplined political party in pakistan than MQM.
PPP has been invaded by selfish and corrupt landlords.
I tell you MQM has the tendencies and gutts to turn pakistan into a paradise of wise not fools and livings not dead.
Although I dont appreciate their ethnic tilt, they need to include other ethnicites and give them a prominent spot.
(And they have the most unattractve leadership superficially speaking, until I switched to Indian channel and I quickly changed my mind. But thats my personal preferance. Sorry)
Anyway
Pakistan is a small country (landwise) almost the size of Texas, but very rich in resourses (waiting to be explored)
if we freaking stop bickering with eachother and with India.
Why are there so many political parties?
I think there should only be two.
A good party and a bad party.
Good party, thats what they claim but actually they are bad.
And a bad party thats what everybody think but infact they are good.
Warm regards,
Shahid
@ BD,
I agree, but in the short term, the criminal, terrorist elements must be dealt with decisively.
@Eidee Man
I think unless we vigorously keep punishing the ideology of divisiveness and hate, acting against perpetrators, even though necessary for deterrence, would do little good.
What perplexes me is what is it that makes the continuity of such incidents possible.
One sad truth is that strife, fear and chaos enable a few people to gather immense power and influence in a short period of time, which is hard to obtain in peace-time scenario. May be some people use this as a shortcut.
I think as a society we need to battle these very fundamental catalysts, namely strife, fear and chaos; Come what may.
@Faria,
I agree with you about MQM; very few have the courage to speak against them, this blog included.
However, given that this blast was specifically targeted at Shias, it was probably not conducted by the MQM.