Adil Najam
Everytime I use the word ‘Jahalat’ I seem to invite the wrath of the self-righteous. But do tell me what other word can be used to describe this news story below?
It may seem innocuous when someone half-buries a child in the sand to seek a cure for paralysis from a solar eclipse, but quite another when superstition and misinformation blocks the way for polio vaccination. But what can one say when a life is taken willfully and deliberately?
Back in 2006 we had written about how jahalat murdered 22-year old Shagufta who was axed to death and later burnt by her family, now Mohammad Bashir Kacha, a 70 year old resident of Rahim Yar Khan is dead.
Tell us who the culprit is: Jinn or jahalat?
Here is the full story, as published in The Express Tribune:
RAHIM YAR KHAN: In the Sadiqabad tehsil, a fake peer attempted an exorcism on an old man which led to his death.
In mohallah Jalandharyhan, a 70-year-old man Mohammad Bashir Kacha had been suffering from asthma for several years. According to Dr Shah Nazir at Seikh Zayed Hospital Rahim Yar Khan, it was also likely that Kacha also suffered from epilepsy and experienced fits of rage. “Locals and neighbours are likely to term such afflictions as a man being possessed when there is a medical explanation for the condition,” he said. Kacha’s sons took him to a pir from Arain Colony for treatment. “He was getting worse and we thought that we needed to do something as soon as possible so we took him to Bukhari,” his 22-year-old son Amjad said. Amjad said that one of his neighbours had recommended that he take his father to Syed Qalandar Abbas Shah Bukhari who usually performed exorcisms and used different herbs for ‘spiritual treatment’.
Kacha was taken to Bukhari who took him into a side room, where he burnt some herbs and tried to get Kacha to inhale the smoke. When the smoke began to agitate Kacha, Bukari began to slap him. “The three djinns were not cooperating and they weren’t reacting to my treatment so I tried to beat them out of him,” Bukhari said, adding that he had deduced that Kacha had been possessed for a very long time. As the pir was hitting Kacha, his sons broke into the room and began hurling shoes at Bukhari. “He was striking blows at our father who is an old man,” Amjad and his brother said, adding that they immediately took their father to the hospital as he had collapsed after the incident. Dr Nazir said that the patient suffered from asthma and the smoke had severely affected him, “The beating only made things worse and the next day, July 10, he died.”
Kacha’s sons refused to file an FIR against Qalandar and have said that they forgive the pir. A neighbor, Hassan said that Kacha’s sons were afraid of the consequences of punishing the pir or having him arrested. “They know that he could easily have one of his djinns haunt them and that is why they are avoiding prosecuting him,” he said. Qalandar said that he regretted the death of the old man and has said that the reason for the death was that his sons weren’t able to afford the ‘payment’ the djinns required to leave the man alone.
“They asked for three goats and when the sons couldn’t afford that, they were willing to settle for three goats heads but the boys didn’t even bring those in. That is why he died,” Qalandar said, adding that he had “tried his best to negotiate with the djinns but they were unwilling to compromise.”
@Watan Aziz
This comment by Watan Aziz is, I am sorry to say, pure nonsense. Even cruel!
You think polio vaccine is a luxury?
Are you out of your mind. If you think that is like ‘cake’ you have no idea of what you are talking about (the alternative would be that you do not care about poor and ailing children, which I do not wish to believe). Polio is an erradicable disease. A human health priority around the world especially amongst the poor. It costs next to nothing and saves people from some of the most debilitating diseases. Even in the poorest parts of the world people administer this and millions, yes millions, benefit. It is effective, it is cheap, it is a necessity for all. Yet these mullah types spread nonsense about it and keep the most deserving from it with their jahalat. That is jahalat indeed, even more than this story because in the case of polio you are killing thousands and condemning even more to a miserable existence, just because you think they do not need ‘cake’!
If that’s the picture of the PIR above, then the sons must be blind not to be able to see the satanic soul possessing him. He looks like a budmash and a bad person, not some1 with blessings of Allah. Just look at those eyes!
…quite another when superstition and misinformation blocks the way for polio vaccination.
“Let them eat cake?”
You know, Adil, these folks do not get simple Aspirin tablets for minor discomfort. Most of the people see their loved ones die from malaria! And you want to show up with Polio vaccination? As much as we need to get rid of polio and no one needs to suffer from it, but you have to ask, are we wired right?
Really?
People will ask, I have no bread and you want me to eat cake?
Mohammad Bashir Kacha died because Ministry of Health, Governmnet of Pakistan, Islamabad failed to deliver proper and basic care for him. Period. The sons and the bogus pir are accessories to murder. They facilitated and participated in the crime of MOH (‘mooH’ of Punjabi sounds right to me).
Why is that in Pakistan, if there is a health emergency, no one can think of calling a number for emergency response? Change the conditions of any other people to that of Pakistan and they will do exactly the same. Pakistanis are no different. Did not land from Mars.
This is neither jahalat nor jinn. This is lack of resources! People pushed into poverty and kept there. Isolated and no one to turn to for help. The when they get no relief, they get punched back as “uneducated” and jahil, etcetra.
My best guess is that the sons could not deal with their father’s illness anymore. The old timer was already 70. This nut job criminal (and he looks (“shakaloon”) criminal as well) was their “solution”. Terrible.
But the city “baus” need to change their thinking about good folks of Pakistan. We are not here by accident. It is by design. Bad design. People have been kept boxed up by folks in “I-Salammed-every-one-else-abad” and the two other major cities.
Just look at the jahalat of the reporter. “Fits of rage”. Ignorant. Epilepsy can be managed if there is proper medical care. People can live a normal life, especially with 2nd gen meds. It remined me of someone who had posted “fits” for Shazia Masih.
So what is common between Mohammad Bashir Kacha and Shazia Masih you ask?
Yep, you got it.
And no, epilipsey is only the disease they may have shared. But I am referring to the real cause. The cause is ignorant educated of Pakistan who not only steal the treasury but take turns in insulting the intelligence of the “ghareeb”.
Adil, I do not want to pile up on you as you are already doing a yoeman’s job. But we need to come around on this. Really.
We need to think of the problems differently. 180 degrees.
We need to beleive in “ho mera kaam Ghariboon key hamayat karna” and Jagan Nath’s “sharing the wealth”. Nothing will change in Pakistan unless the educated of Pakistan come to terms on what we have done and what we need to undo.
Share the resources, even if meager.
Amazing. Idiot pir, idiot followers.
By the way, what do jinns do with goats?
Poor goats ki shaamat ayee hai humharay haan.
This is a criminal case. This is murder.
Where is a good suo moto when we need it.