O God, have mercy on Pakistan
“One more attempt, just one more and we can remove our opponents from the face of the earth, this is what keeps the hate groups going. This does not happen, can never happen but they refuse to learn.
“They also have a whole list of issues that they want to resolve, scores they need to settle. They do not realise that some of these issues are centuries old and cannot be resolved. They have become part of our belief systems. They will be there as long as we are there.
“Also, each side wants the other to recognise it as the best. That too cannot happen. One side is never, I repeat never, going to recognise the other.
“Once we accept this, then we can move to the next best option: accepting the differences and learning to live with them. This means accepting the fact that Shias will always be Shias and Sunnis will always be Sunnis. There never is an ultimate victory in a religious dispute. So the only option is to learn to live with each other,” said Mr Shirazi, as we listened with our heads down.
Mr Shirazi’s nephew was recently gunned down in Karachi and the killers shamelessly claimed that they were members of the Sipah-e-Sahaba group.
Today, we had come early to the tavern but not to listen to Mr Shirazi. We were here to mourn the death of a friend and a much-admired poet, Shakeel Azad who died earlier this week.
The session started with one of the tavern regulars reciting Shakeel Azad’s ghazal “Zameen kya asmaan ko thaam lay gi – Agar main darmiaan say hut gaya toh? (Will the earth embrace the sky, if I am removed from between the two?).”
Foroud, the only Iranian member of our group, read a poem by a mid-20th century Iranian poet Sohrab Sepehri. “Let’s not fear death, death is not the end of a dove’s flight. Death is dawn’s footsteps in a town enveloped in darkness. It sits, two blocks from our home, staring at us, with frowning eyes.”
But before we could go further, Zahid, another tavern regular, walked in. “You are late,” Khalid, who was chairing the session, reminded him.
“Yes, and I did not feel like coming but came because Mr Azad was such a nice man,” said Zahid.
“And why is that?” Khalid asked.
“I guess you guys have been here for some time, that’s why you missed the news. More than a 100 killed in a series of bomb blasts in Pakistan, 86 Shias killed in Quetta by the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi,” said Zahid.
The news obviously had a huge impact on the audience who were already mourning the death of an old friend.
“Two blasts inside Pakistan kill more than a 100. Four soldiers die in India-Pakistan clashes on the Line of Control, two from each side,” said Khalid. “Does the Pakistan army chief have a point when he says that internal threats to Pakistan are greater than any external threat?”
“Sad, sad, sad, a very sad day,” said Tahir Parwaz, an online participant from Rawalpindi.
“How long has this been going on, really?” asked Najma Siddiqi, a Washington resident. “It has now become a matter of numbers of dead, 10, 20, 50 or more. We are the greatest threat to ourselves, nothing to do with internal or external. We accept all kinds of rotten individuals, clans, institutions, systems.”
She added: “We protect and provide the pasture/fodder for these so-called leaders and protectors to graze/feed on. And we let them use one cover or another to justify the loot and the violence: national, ethnic, religious, institution, political.”
“What do you suggest we should do?” asked Zubair, another tavern regular.
“Question more loudly, more openly, more honestly – from wherever we can. Some of us do this already. But it may be too little, too late. I say this also because I see more of the ‘intellectually’ inclined (or gifted, if you like) taking sides to protect their favoured (politicians, mullahs, and ‘systems’) than to help us see (expose?) the crevices, ditches, swamps … around us,” Najma responded.
Javed Rafat Siddique, from Houston, Texas, suggested that Pakistan “needs a complete change, not just the faces, but also the way we elect our representatives. The present system is only geared to bring the same kind of landed aristocracy who is robbing and ruling for the past 60 years.”
Agha Adeel, from a Washington suburb, claimed that the army chief was fast becoming unpopular for not doing anything to stop this carnage.
“The media has to do more to create more awareness,” said Mohsin Bashir Awan, another Washington area participant.
“What goes around comes around,” said Zamarey Faqiri, an Afghan from London.
“Yaa Allah, Pakistan par raham farmaa (O God, have mercy on Pakistan),” said Mahmood Raza Tariq, a Virginia resident.
“Amen,” said all.
But my questions remained unanswered:
“Those who kill: Have you ever brought up a child? Seen a fragile sapling growing into a full grown tree? Have you witnessed a mother showering a child, combing hair, changing the uniform? Polishing shoes? Saying goodbye as the child walks out of the door?
“Have you seen a father going to the bazaar to buy books, uniform and shoes for the child’s first day at school? Have you seen the father taking a loan to pay a child’s tuition fee? A mother selling her gold bangles?
“Have seen the parents thanking God when all their efforts bear fruit? When the child returns home with the result card?
“Have you seen the same child bring his or her first salary to the parents? Have seen how their faces light up?
“If you have seen all these, then how can you undo this labour of love, this effort of a lifetime without any feeling? How can you plunge an entire family into darkness? How can you take away a widow’s last hope? A sister’s only brother? A child’s father? Someone’s mother? A sister?
Don’t you think? Don’t you see? Don’t you have a heart? Can’t you feel pain? Are you incapable of crying?”
The author is a correspondent for Dawn, based in Washington, DC.
One can lament all one wants, but it changes nothing, means nothing. As long as people are muslim first, and humans last, and as long as they want to go to heaven at any cost, this will continue to happen. What kind of heaven will it be with such animals. I pity the houris.
O God, have mercy on Pakistan. Mercy or hate, God has no opinion one way or the other. God only works to give what a person chooses or a nation chooses. So Pakistan is getting what its people chose. Change your choices and things will change for you.
‘Choice’ is a concept that is alien to our teachings.
We are forced to believe in pre-determined destiny, and that to me is the root cause of all our evils.
Loved your post, wish I could have given you a million thumbs up
why such things r happing in al over muslim world baring few muslim kntries, Muslims r either fightng against other religions or fighting among temselves. I think time has come Muslims should retrospect about ter way of thinking about others and idea.
Muslim leaders in 1947 thought muslims could not live peacefully with Hindus, so they created Pakistan. Now if Sunnis muslims feel they cannot live with Shias and Ahmadis etc, the solution is to divide Pakistan into several parts, one part for every muslim sects and minorities.
We will not divide, but we will definitely implode.
This is not enough to read Mersiah and Ghazals on such tragic killings. Presently the country need honest efforts to settle sectarian differences on the basis of justice and reality and to accept basic human rights of all. Must condemn religious extremism and fanaticism. No religious activities should disturb public activities.
Very well written. In total agreement with the author. What we should recognize is that “truth” to one person may be “falsehood” to another. May Allah guide the fanatic oppressor and remove his lust for causing death and destruction and provide justice to the oppressed. Ameen.
Govt. has skipped the timeline where resignation from CM Balochistan could stop protest. now it is turning really really big.
Govt can still hold by sending Army to Quetta as demanded by protestors. if they fail or delay to deliver it. LONG MARCH of Tahir Qadri would head to Quetta and People of Karachi will head to Bilawal House Karachi.
a perfect check mate.
We are soon to listen “MERAY AZIZ HUM WATNOO”
Very very emotional closing and how very realistic questions being posed to all terrorists anywhere – Pakistan , India or ROW.
Anwar Sahib, they do not see, hear and feel because they are the children of hunger and illetracy themselves. They are born to be left wandering naked in the streets. The void left by life’s hardships is filled by ideas of extremism. Only Meaningful education has the capacity to change us. Give a child an education and an objective in life and you have struck off one name from a suiside bomber’s recruitment list.
You think hunger and illiteracy are only found in Pakistan? They kill because they think that’s what their ‘god’ wants them to do. Keep waiting for Allah to sort things out,and you’ll be waiting till kingdom come.
The 11 who blew up the Twin towers were educated, were relatively well-off and had opportunities to prosper – they were just fanatics who wanted to kill. The fanatics and brain washed are the problem – not the poor. Why do so many muslim youth turn into fanatics ? Can you answer that? Why so much hatred?
Please read the Qur’an and the Habith it teaches tolerance not murder or hatred. Only God is the judge and punisher.
Such statements get boring very quickly. If you cannot behave as a human, then al those religious texts are wasted on you.
I agree. Boring.
It is the deeds that count. And those proving a totally different picture.
End feudalism and all will be fine in due course of time.
Although feudalism triggered the ills in Pakistan, the ‘culture of hate’ has now assumed a life of its own, and is fueled by reasons that are out of this world.
Only people who do not have faith (in God) can resort to such brutalilty.
Many of the European people don’t believe in God but 100% taliban people have faith on God
In the past, I have tried to convey to the readers of DAWN in the Comments section that differences between Sunnis and Shias should be assumed minor and that the schism was caused by political, not religious differences. DAWN never published my comments.
For over 1000 years, there has been discord, and often killings. You call it minor?
Wow – great response.
It is time to bring in the Army, to sought out this mess.
It is beyond the capabilities of police, FC and the 65 ministers of Balochistan government (good for nothing parasites).
This is what the army wants – to be called back to power. They have played a good game. They can profit from this mayhem.
Years ago, some shia doctors were shot in Pakistan. I asked my sunni friend what is wrong. He said those doctors deserved death as they were shia. I was shocked. Educated Pakistani living in the west for the last forty years,and still no change in their minds.
The new dawn will only reign on Pakistan when the religion will have no business with the affairs of the state! All the these religious bigots are vying for political powers’ in the name of their God. But IF religion is declared by the constitution as no route to political ambitions this may bear fruit!
Why should the argument be learning to live with one another, why not calling a butcher a butcher and eliminating them, only then this endless violence will end.
As for I am concern, find these killers and kill them. It’s either them or us, so take the actions now.
Perhaps, those in power do not want to unleash a CIVIL WAR on their own people.
Eye for an eye will leave one blind. This has been proven many times in the Islamic world. Try peaceful coexistence for a change
really sad indeed. Am from India these news really scares me, am sure it is just matter of time before it spreads to India too. Pakistan please do something about it only you can save yourself.
More religion means more problems. Period.
There is no end to brutality in sight. How a human could be so barbaric and callous. But it is a fact faced by us each day in Pakistan, Baluchistan, KP, FATA, etc. We are living on false hopes of peace and our people are dying. These forces of evil are getting powerful with each passing day. Still thinking why fate has stored such acts of violence for us. This piece is so moving. Can’t see the innocent people protesting in Quetta since yesterday, but the government is unmoved, we are unmoved, the society in general is unmoved. Definitely one day these monsters would come after us and there would be nobody left to raise voice for us.
Very sublime
You are painfully right Anwar Sahab. Somehow I can not bring myself to imagine that they may have never raised a child, or have never witnessed a mother combing her child’s hair, polishing her shoes, as you so touchingly mentioned in the article. The question remains, how in the name of God were they raised ? Where in the thick of wildness were they brought up ?. Was it a normal household or a jungle somewhere. Every incident like this brings you to a realization that you will not feel as much pain and anguish on the next one…but it doesn’t happen. Pain comes with more suffering. Pata nahin Allah kab Pakistan per reham karain gay!
why bureaucrats,military,judiciary and rulers are sleeping???
are they not trying to prove to be equal partners in this cruelty??
they are not sleeping my friend – they have been bull dozed with wealth, not to interfere with the internal affairs of the country.
It is all against humanity, Islam doesn’t teach such things! these people should not be spared at any cost. Shame on democracy and army as well who cannot save this beautiful country.
Thats the problem Malik bhai and was always a problem…ARMY…you nurtured it to be so independent that it went out of its way to create Jihadis to fight INDIA…now the same element have gone rough and taken this all to a different level.
Anwar Sahib, nice write-up but you are being too emotional and are expressing your sentiments like such witnessed on soap serials. We need to be brave and this platform should be used to spell out to the public how to bring about change. And change we must in a big way.
Who are killing don’t read news paper.it is useless to educate them. Eliminate them or get eliminated. Ther is no third option.