Adil Najam
Shia processions in Lahore and Karachi – commemorating the martyrdom of Hazrat Ali (RA) – were attacked. In Karachi seven people were left injured. In Lahore 18 were killed, 190 injured. The suicide attack on the Lahore procession triggered panic, mayhem, and further clashes. Sectarian tensions, already high as a result of a series of orchestrated attacks against Shia targets, have been further flared by these inhuman and murderous attacks.
Once again, my hands are trembling as I type this post. With rage. With anger. With anguish. I have no words that can console the wounds of those who have fallen. No words to explain the horror that has, yet again, transpired. No words to express the angst that tears at my heart – wanting so badly, needing so desperately, for this madness to stop.
I have chosen the two pictures above for a reason. The first is of what seems like a young boy, wounded and bleeding, in Lahore. The second is of two suspected gunmen who had allegedly opened fire in Karachi. The first is a representation of the anguish I feel. the second of the anger I seethe in.
I do not believe in vigilantism. But I do believe in justice. (How could I not with the name I have?). I do not know how the rot that has taken root can be stemmed, but this I know: law and justice will have to be a large part of what happens. The rate at which killers and would-be-killers are prosecuted and brought to justice has to exceed the rate at which they blow themselves up.
Why is it that we keep having to write these horrendous and gut-wrenching posts about attacks on Pakistanis; again, and again, and yet again. Yet, we do not write posts about the killers and murderers who are doing this and planning this being brought to justice? We would like nothing more than to be able to do so. Believe me, we have tried. We scour the newspapers to find news of these killers and their puppet-masters being brought to justice. But we do not find them.
We realize that it is not easy to prove such cases. But that should only mean that we need to try harder. Pakistan is at war, and the course of this war will change when the narrative changes from stories about helplessness at these constant attacks and killings to narratives of ‘getting’ those responsible for this. That means that law enforcement – the police and the judiciary – has to be at the heart of this battle. Not only in reducing the number of such incidents, but also in bringing culprits to justice.
And that is why I have included that second picture. I want to know who these two men behind the chadors are. I do not want them to be lynched. I do want them to get a fair hearing. But I also want to make sure that if they are indeed the culprits then they are brought to justice. I want to hear about how they are tried. I want to know how our judges judge them.
And if that does not happen, then I want to know why the police was not able to make a case against them, why the judges were not able to swiftly bring them to trial and judgment, and why our self-important media did not make all the fuss about this that that are so good at making on so many other things.
@Umar Shah
Adil is right… we want a trial and a fair trial…. you do not become animals in dealing with animals…. but if they are animals let us determine that and then go from there…. Otherwise we too are just a lynch mob
The violence needs to stop, but if we approach selectively, it would not.
We should include all pakistanis in our anguishes, emotions, calls for justice..
These are news from the same day
“Civilians die in Pakistani air raid targeting militants”
“Pakistan army jets and helicopters targeted militant hideouts near the Afghan border, killing 60 people identified as insurgents or their family members, including children, security officials and a witness said Wednesday.”
Should we also not cry for the innocent killed there as well?
It is ironic how whole communities are thought to be evil and heartless because of the horrendous acts pepetrated by some satan’s followers, like the ones who blasted themselves amoung peacful mourners mourning the death of our dear Prophet Muhammed’s (PBUH) brother’s Hazrath Ali (RA) death. Recently we were asking people to donate liberally to Pakistans flood relief and the reactions from common people, both non pakistanis and even pakistanis was unanimous. Why would we donate and waste resources to help a vilolent community who kill each other including their own muslim folks like insects? It is true that muslims do not need any enemies. They are themselves good enough to annihiliate themselves. Pakistan has become worthless in terms of human values and moral standards. Isnt it shameless that our neighboring India has reached the pinnacle of growth and development and look at Pakistan? I guess its lack of education and tremendous polarisation of the community that has led to this moral degradation. Why dont these hate mongers and the supporters of the terrorist groups go and help the flood victims rather than plot and kill innocent women and children on streets of Lahore? Do you really think that these suicide bombers will go to heaven?? These are the most downtroddens who will burn in Hell as Allah has ordained in the Holy Quran. Will someone tell them that or is there nobody in Pakistan who dares them or even cares. Pakistan Payandabad???
please check out http://www.islamicsolutions.com/if-it-is-extreme-i t-is-not-islam/
Fair trial Adil? for these killers? I see no reason for a trial, they were caught on the crime scene committing murder. Two actions are needed; find out who is behind them and hang these two without extending them a night in jail. But let me tell you what’ll happen, these two will disappear from news and society only to resurface later to commit similar crimes. Why? because someone will help them escape or the big fish behind them will be too big to touch.