Adil Najam
For the fifth time in as many days, a bomb ravaged through Pakistan killing innocent Pakistanis. Muslims killing other Muslims they considered less Muslim than themselves. This time the target was the shrine of 13th century Sufi saint Sakhi Sarwar in District Dera Ghazi Khan. This time more than 40 were killed. That number is likely to rise.
This was, once again, a target killing of a Sufi shrine. As so many times before, this time the victims of this heinous murder were devotees at a Sufi Shrine. As so many times before, this time the murder was committed by a mere child (reportedly 15-16 year old and reportedly now in custody amongst the wounded). A child who is himself a victim in so many ways. A child who grew up in displacement and got the idea instilled and cemented into his mind that the short-cut to heaven was to blow other Muslims up!
The tragedy at Sakhi Sarwar was the logical culmination of another tragedy – the indoctrination of hate. Hate kills. Hate killed again today.
Murder was committed at Sakhi Sarwar today not merely by a boy-murderer dreaming of an easy ticket into heaven. Murder was committed at Sakhi Sarwar today by the purveyors of hate who have sanction from society – sanction given by our tacit silence. Hate kills. Yes. But so does silence. Silence killed again today.
Terrible certainly. Both that they use little kids to do their dirty work and the now systematic targetting of Muslims at shrines and mosques etc. Laanat hai in taaliban par!
The fact that most of these bombers are children being used by these mullahs to commit murder seems not to register with our right wing at all. As if they find nothing disgusting in that!
Is there not paranoia involved in the blaming of Americans for all the bad and none of the good that takes place in Pakistan? Do we, with eyes blinded by terror, not miss the point Adil Najam is trying to make? That it is easy to accuse the Americans who have been the target of these terror groups for decades, yet, do Americans not respond, out of empathy for the suffering of others, to each and every natural, human or military made disaster the world over? Have we not shown enough support to Pakistan during earthquake and flood relief to prove the solidness of our commitment? Have we not given enough military aid to Pakistan to prove the solidness of our commitment against common enemies?
Why, dear readers, would the US support groups that attack them? Conspiracy theories aside, what does the US gain from the suicide attack on a holy shrine? Are Sufi’s across the globe blaming the US? Is the majority of the international community blaming the US? No, why? Are some in Pakistan blaming the US. Yes, why?
Think? Did one of the injured Lashkr-e-Talaba bombers not confess? Did he, in his confession, implicate the US as a co-conspirator? The US does not and will not support terror groups in Pakistan or anywhere else. The US is in a valued strategic ally who supports Pakistan’s quest to defeat extremism and drive terror from its land. Till all get together and raise their voice against these killings….. Adil Najams’s words stand ‘Hate kills.’ Yes, but so does silence and silence killed again today.
CDR Bill Speaks
DET- United States Central Command
http://www.centcom.mil/ur
@Sajid Hashmi
I totally agree, the moment that Sialkot incidence was removed from the media, everybody forgot it. Imagine how poor our judicial and governance system is?
Need of the hour is revolution. Thrwo this corrupt and self serving lot out of our beautiful homeland.
http://ihaveadream-pakistan.blogspot.com
@Adil Najam
A good and timely article, eliciting some very honest and candid comments, especially those by Hasan Abidi.
@Sajid Hashmi
“All it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to remain silent”.
True! But evil succeeds because it has the holy loudspeaker, spewing hatred all the time in the good name of Islam. Stop this holy loudspeaker, which is the most potent weapon in the hands of the mullah to spread his ‘deen-e-fassaad’, and I am sure there will be all around peace.