I HAVE no words to express the pain I felt at the butchering of Muslims who were picked out of the buses and mercilessly killed in front of fellow passengers on near Babusar Pass.

What a horrific way of dying at the hands of some mad men who call themselves Taliban who have certainly not gone through the Holy Quran. Shame on all of them for this extreme cruelty which has nothing to do with Islam and being a better Muslim than the rest. After this cruel act by the terrorists, I don’t even know how to face our brethren in Gilgit-Baltistan next week after Eid, when I will be arriving in Skardu accompanying my husband to conduct a medical camp.

Every year at this time the free camp is held for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan who can either not afford or are too ill to travel to Lahore for surgical procedures.

For the last three years that I have travelled to Skardu, I found people of Gilgit-Baltistan very friendly, courteous, honest and respectful and no less Muslims than we all consider ourselves to be.

In fact, at all the time that I was there I felt safer than in my own city of Lahore. We used to leave our baggage and wallets with cash in the rooms of the guest house without any fear of theft. While visiting the city and going past the city jail we were told that there was just one prisoner there at that time which really surprised us considering our jails are always more than full.

A peaceful community like the Baltistani Muslims must have been shaken to the core with the news of this massacre. They certainly did not deserve this. They have very kind and hospitable hearts but will they accept our apologies when we land in Skardu for the camp?

Will they ever or should they forgive us?

DR MARYAM R. TARARLahore