Adil Najam
Karachi burns again. Tears swell up, but words run dry. This poem by Obaidullah Aleem, written in 1971 and sent to me recently by Naveed Riaz, says what we all feel. (Click on the audio logo below for an audio recording).
Meray Shehr jal rahey haiN, Meray Loug mar rahey haiN
[audio:http://pakistaniat.com/images/Obaidullah-Al eem-1971.mp3]
(My cities are burning, by people are dying).
But it is really the last line of the ghazal that speaks to our collective angst, and indeed our collective guilt:
Hum he Qatl ho rahey haiN, hum he Qatl kar rahey haiN
(We ourselves are doing the dying, we ourselves are doing the killing).
How deep. How true. How sad.
The same thoughts are conveyed also in this poem by Ahmad Faraz; written in response to an earlier spate of killings in Karachi. We have used Faraz’s words before on this blog, including in a January 2008 post which is worth revisiting because all we said then could be said again today. But what deserves to be said again most of all are the words from Ahmed Faraz… Here I repeat them along with my commentary on them from 2008:
A few lines from the poem worth thinking about as we grieve, yet again, the loss of innocent lives at the hands of those who wish to prove the ‘righteousness’ of their cause by violence, murder and mayhem.
On how none of this is new and how the result is always a heightening of ethnic, sectarian and other ‘differences’. Note the “phir say tou kouN hai, meiN kouN houN, aapas meiN sawal” [once again, we ask each other: who are you? who am I?]
phir wohe aag dar aaye hai mairi galiyoun mein
phir mairey shehr mein barood ki boo phaili hai
phir say tou kouN hai, meiN kouN houN, aapas meiN sawal
phir wohi soch miyan-i-mann-o-tou phaili haiOn how we are sp quick to blame ‘outsiders’ for our misery, as if we had no hand in it ourselves. Note the “mairey seenay meiN sadda apna he khanjar utra” [it has always been my own dagger that has pierced my heart]
mairi basti say parrey bhi mairey dushman houN gay
par yahaN kabb koee aghyaar ka lashkar uttra
aashna haath he aksar mairey janab labkay
mairey seenay meiN sadda apna he khanjar utraThis part is my favorite. About how fear (khouf) and uncertainty (tazabzub) rules, and how much havoc is brought forth by those who use the rhetoric of patriotism (naara-i-hubb-i-watan) and of religion. Note the “naara-i-hubb-i-watan maal-i-tajarat ki tarhaaN” [slogans of patriotism are traded like commodity in a bazaar] and the “jinss-i-arzaaN ki tarhaaN deen-i-khuda ki baateiN” [talk of religion has become like a commodity in over-supply].
phir wohi khauf ki deewar, tazabzub ki faza
phir hoeeN aam wohoee ahl-i-riya ki baateiN
naara-i-hubb-i-watan maal-i-tajarat ki tarhaaN
jinss-i-arzaaN ki tarhaaN deen-i-khuda ki baateiNAnd he ends with these words of hope that give me great solace. When he talks about “mairey dilgeer, mairey dard kay maarey logou” he seems to be talking to us directly today. But the real kicker is in the last two lines: “kissi ghasib, kissi zalim, kissi qatil kay leeaye, khod ko taqseem na karna, mairey saarey logou” [do not, O please do not, let the usurpers, the tyrants, the murders divide you into factions].
aaj aisa nahiN, aisa nahiN honay daina
aye mairey sokhta jaano, mairey piyarey logou
abb kay gar zalzalay aaye tou qiyamat ho ge
mairey dilgeer, mairey dard kay maarey logou
kissi ghasib, kissi zalim, kissi qatil kay leeaye
khod ko taqseem na karna, mairey saarey logou
View a video of Ahmad Faraz reciting this poem.
Some comments from the ATP Facebook Page:
– “bus bohot hogaya,,somebody should stop this.”
– “This is too sad :'(((”
– “This is punishment to those who kicked Musharraf out .. !! take that ..!!”
– ” looks like you forgot 12 May 2007, when 52 people were killed and Musharraf proudly announced in isb “what happened in Khi today is an example of my power””
– “somebody cannot stop this ..because every body wants somebody and that some body is us..afraad k hathon mai hai aqwam ki taqdeer….har fard hai millat k muqadar ka sitara…its true”
– “Now I can imagine the time of partition when muslims and hindus were fighting together but that time the opponent was non muslims and our elders were fighting for Islam and for muslim rights but today muslims r fighting together and behaving like enemies,,,,Y dont we think that our actual enemies( America, Israel and India) want destablization of Pakistan…”
– “no one can destabilize us until And unless we are united.stop blaming others for our weakness..weakness comes from inside.although these countries have bad intention regarding our existence but we all are responsible for this..GOD Bless us.”
– “Hamari aapes ki siaasi ranjishon ne “Karachi ki QYeaumi yakjehati” ko parah parah ker dia.Yeh sab androoni Siasi ranjishen or talkhian han jo is “Roshnion k Dheher” ko dhundlane ki koshish ker rahi han………….Mere Piare “Shaair Dost Obaid Ullah Aleem ne sahih kaha Her Teergi main “Too” ne utari hai Roshni Ab khud uter k aa k siah ter hai kaaenaat”
– “…aur PRESIDENT ZARDARI London aur Paris ki sair karr rahay hain!!”
i am a karachite and i love my country and city.it is very sad and where is writ of law, the government is doing nothing, both MQM & ANP are in power.Police cant pick those party guys killing of power urdu speaking or pathans will not stop untill the all powerfull backers of terrorism are nabbed, i support no one amoung PPP,MQM or ANP to me all are same, hungry for power and greedy, i dont see any hope until people start electing better leaders, ANP sponsor killing from hilltops of Orangi while MQM is killing innocent pathans like rickshaw drivers ,cobblers and PPP is enjoying its time in office hoping to loot the country, i hate them all, we need people selfless people , may God help us
Sigh!
For people like Orya Maqbool Jan, Rehan and smssr84 and their apocalyptic talk, read this article by Yasir Peerzada:
http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/aug2010-daily/04-08-20 10/col9.htm
When you talk of impending doom, and how only repentance can save us, you forget that God helps those, who help themselves.
As you sow so shall you reap..
If you read this column of Orya Maqbool Jan in daily express just 1 day before the airplane crash and couple of days before floods. Its very mysterious & so true as he pointed out all these things like people killing people in cities, floods, people dying on margala hills before these incidents happened. May Allah help us & forgive us for our wrong deeds and sins.
http://www.express.com.pk/epaper/PoPupwindow.aspx? newsID=1101011539&Issue=NP_LHE&Date=20100728