It took the blood of innocent children to wake us up
Has 16/12 changed Pakistan for good? I can see some silver linings on the horizon after a long, painful wait. Alas it took such a great yet uncalled for sacrifice of our innocent children to reach this defining moment of our history. This is time to rid Pakistani society of illiterate fundamentalists/hardliners who were for decades trying to hijack us through one slogan or another. Geo-strategic compulsions, two wars during the last three decades on our Western border led by superpowers – former USSR and now US – kept different segments of our society confused and on a collision course till date about the motives and conduct of these religious vigilantes, sectarian zealots, hate preachers. And what not. Not anymore.
No one – politicians to generals – has the courage to face the mother who told media the other day that all the “four pupils” she had were killed in the Army Public School cowardly ambush by terrorists on December 16. I heard another mother saying three of her kids were all gone to heaven. The situation is so aggravated and alarmed that even the hardline/fundamentalist clergy finds no argument in its arsenal that has traditionally never been empty. In fact, always filled with illiterate, unemployed, misdirected youth as fodder. Some of them have been used for undertaking the most heinous of crimes – suicide bombings in our cities and towns. Collective awakening in all segments of society has all the potential to block their illogical/inhuman march on our roads and colonies. Some of us who have been inhumanly immune to the pain of 26/11, are compelled to do soul searching. Innocent blood spilled for any cause is inhuman, against religious teachings anywhere and everywhere.
This new wave of uncontrollable emotions and countless tears suggest a new direction as our cities and towns continue to mourn mass scale killings and butchering of innocent children, our future. Ground realities indicate a careful retrospect, soul-searching embedded with quick and effective administrative measures. The effect on the national psyche is even greater than the 2005 earthquake that killed thousands, or the 2010 floods the country that devastated hundreds of villages, and ripe crops. The young crop of our future that was eliminated mercilessly on December 16 at the Army Public School in Peshawar city is too heavy to bear.
Even the hardline Pakistan Taliban sympathisers find no argument to forward in the changed circumstances. This was perhaps the reason which compelled some elements of civil society to demonstrate outside the Lal Masjid in the very heart of capital Islamabad on Thursday. It could be termed yet another symbolic action, but it surprised many. One should remember this was the Lal Masjid which was scene of a warlike scenario in 2007 after army action against hardline religious cleric and his followers resulted in the death of scores of seminary students and militants that were holed up at the premises. The Lal Masjid vigilanties were trying to impose their own version of Islamic laws on capital Islamabad before the operation. They had even attacked massage centres, cafes, government offices A spree of suicide attacks hit the country and the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, immediately after completion of the Lal Masjid military operation in year 2007. On this Thursday, however, the scene was different and unique. The generals are already on the move – this took Pakistani military chief and head of ISI to Kabul on the very second day of the incident. A joint effort to eliminate terrorists on both sides of Pak-Afghan border was the theme of the said visit. Attaining elusive regional peace on this dangerous border is name of the game in the post-NATO withdrawl from Afghanistan. Pakistani politicians have a more difficult yet daunting task ahead.
They have assigned themselves to come up with more practicable measures to nab terrorists, try them through swift court procedure, and finally eliminate their unwanted presence. Elimination of hate speech and literature sectarianism, protection of religious minorities are daunting tasks. The PML-N government, known for its proximity and support from lower middle/middle-class-religious minded segments of society, feels compelled not to delay or shy away from major political and administrative decisions needed . Having recently survived a major political storm led by cricketing-hero-turned-politician Imran Khan, Premier Nawaz Sharif has many busy days and weeks ahead. Pakistan’s top judiciary on its part, is to assemble a gathering of judges heading anti-terrorism courts from across the country, to devise a strategy to speed up trials of heinous crimes, including terrorism. Scores of terror accused, along with hundreds of other prisoners having been awarded capital punishment, have pending appeals/cases to be finalised. Not anymore. Several mercy appeal cases have already been rejected by Pakistani president as I write these lines.
I remember the then immediate post-9/11 words of the then American president when he declared that the terrorists actually attacked the “American way of life”. The Peshawar attack was no less for Pakistani society. These terrorists actually “attacked our future”.