Adil Najam
The enemy struck again. Killing Muslims in Lahore and then in Karachi.
In this blog our vocabulary has always been the vocabulary of Pakistan, of Pakistanis and of Pakistaniat. It shall remain so. Yet, today we deliberately choose to use the vocabulary of religion because those who were targeted were targeted because of their faith. The killers were targeting processions mourning those killed at Karballa. There was nothing ambiguous about the horrific murders of Muslims in Lahore and Karachi. There should be nothing ambiguous about our reaction to it.
The intensity and the frequency of violent intolerance may have escalated, but there is nothing new about the scantimonius self-righteousness that has, for so long, and so consistently, made us our own worst and most enduring enemy: Hum he Qatl ho rahey haiN, hum he Qatl kar rahey haiN.
That both attacks were intended to be much bigger had police and security personnel not intercepted the attackers – one reportedly just 13 years old – is of little consolation to the loved ones of those who died. Including the loved ones of the lowly policemen who gave their lives intercepting these murderers. But it should be yet another moment of reflection for the rest of us. As we wrote in December 2009: “… the Pakistani policeman’s life – very literally – [has become] the only thing between a suicide bomber and his would-be victims.” The Pakistani policeman is not perfect. Nor are we. They represent the same violent schizophrenia that the rest of society does; the same violent schizophrenia that has made their job more violent than any job deserves to be.
‘Killing Muslims’ I think is loaded with sarcasm. The author is quite capable of defending himself, he doesn’t need my help. But the core of the issue here is to defend Pakistan.
Remember if Pakistan loses we would all lose.
If you really want to revenge or hate (horrible word very close to a murder) or teach someone a lesson, hit it where it hurts the most. May be their loved ones or their pockets or the economy. The economic bust that has hurt the whole world but the Pakistanis seems to have problem understanding that because every time they are close to seeing good days (without getting into delicate details) they would pick a fight.
Quaide Azam gave muslims of India a beautiful gift , which they seem to have a problem how to respect it. But dont you worry we will get to the bottom (no pun intended) of it. Inshallah! Pakistan will remain strong.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpWtdyGf_fY&feature =related
Only for those who can read Urdu…. The true picture of liberal fascists revealed by a widely respected writer of our times.
http://www.express.com.pk/epaper/PoPupwindow.aspx? newsID=1101157157&Issue=NP_LHE&Date=20110129
I remember his column published in the morning of July 28th contained predictions of explosion in Margala Hills and widespread floods. Later that day, Air Blue plane crashed in Margala Hills while the worst flood of Pakistan’s history unfolded the same day.
The title of the post together with the comments section reveal everything that is wrong with Pakistan.
For the author of this post “killing” is not “killing of human beings” or “killing of Pakistanis”; it is “killing of muslims”. Even in death we are not simple humans.
Then we have a commentator who is supposedly “liberal” because he condemns the killing of Muslims. However, in the same line he is ready to adopt a different standard in case the victim is a Hindu.
The irony is lost on the author as well as the commentator that it is our carefully inculcated “hate the other” attitude, which is the root cause of violence.
“Killing Muslims “. I am unable to understand this religion thing in this senseless killings. When Brigadier Zia kiled 10,000 Muslim Palestenians during “black september” in aid of King of Jordan, is it not killing Muslims by Pakistani army? lashkar Jhangvi, Laskhar toiaba Sipahi sabha ,Jaish Mohammed are all collecting money in Pakistani mosques openly to kill.
So, Monano, you can read between the lines but are incapable of reading what is on the line. How is blaming right wing extremists equal to blaming Islam. Who said that, where and when.
Actually, defending right-wing extremists by distracting attention from them and diverting it to “hidden” “between the lines” forces is just like supporting them. And supporting right wing extremists is blaming Islam because then you are saying that these right wing extremists are the actual Islam. I am sorry, that is just nonsense.
I am not a secular. Bu I am certainly not a mullah or a right wing extremist and will never ever support them like you are.