A must read for you to "re-think" what we are leaving behind 4 youth!
Prologue:
The Farooquia Masjid firing,
early in the morning on eid day, in Quetta, killed 6 and injured many – left a
dilemma in the minds of the “worshippers”- should we offer Eid Namaz or not?
Many men were forced to stay indoors and say their namaz by their wives and
children! One blast occurs and the churn of events having emotional and
psychological impact is far more pervasive than the gun shots on the ground.
Another striking thing which might be off the record, we as viewers – keep on
switching the channels and state that “yes, they have gotten injured but surely
not in our area” – and then switch to other channel for other news. We have
gotten so immune to this bomb culture – that our conscience is lying somewhere
sleeping! Major trickers on TV run to inform us that the injured from the
firing incident shifted from Quetta to Karachi ! Have we thought -
why can’t they be accommodated and treated in Quetta and the emotional ordeal of the victims’
family? What trauma they go through in traveling and searching for their loved
ones in Karachi
– and that too in the government hospitals? Major upheaval in our thoughts and
awakening of a new horizon is needed to deal with bombers and their ever
growing radicalization – which is making Pakistan go on headlines every day!
Our foreign policy office should be on toes rather than busy in prayers!
Story goes on…
Nothing on my mind - except
crackers, bombs and blasts! I was at the new branch of KFC, Kh-e-Rahat with my
children at iftar dinner, when this drama happened! Around 3 cracker blasts
took place in DHA and 4th one near Moti mahal - and all were in front
of wine shops, giving the owners a certain warning! But they could have
resorted to some other means of negotiation – rather than scaring the
neighborhood!
My small children asked me “can
we change our country please- we can’t even have a burger in peace!” Do you
have an answer to the questions lurking in their minds?
A question to ask the NA 250
leaders of PTI – in march you advertised so much in the corner meetings that,
“vote for PTI , vote for change and we will give you a peaceful Karachi!” My
children even participated in your mega car rallies and walks. Now they ask me,
about eating French fries in peace? Please answer them– why did you make them
walk for you? Why did you make all the Defence, Clifton crowd walk in the name of change? Why
did you get the youth out on sea view for mega car rally, when you cannot even
stop free rides of cracker blasts at The Village Restaurant – Sea View?
Why you can’t in return run back
for NA 250 citizens and KPK is a wild goose chase? Let alone, whole Pakistan – what
change you could have offered us – if voted to power in the Federal? Mobile
courts and online FIR though a good idea – is not workable for the people who
want simple bread and butter – with a corrupt free police desk!
PTI forgot how many have the
access to computers and internet – and if they had, how many are tech-savy to
make use of your online FIR! A better option would have been an open court
system, photocopied on a pattern seen in the Mughal history of Akbar the Great!
The Din I Ilahi of 1582 AD, could have done a target-game in our country,
better than the faults of the 18th Amendment – which have put the
Provincial and Federal Government on the tug of war games! Akbar the Great,
philosophy of One Bell
The constant SMS on our cell
phones, ended the day of re-polling on 19th May 2013! And the dharna
was also a lost cause at three swords. What did you mean by choosing the “three
swords” to incite a crowd and risk their lives on 19th May 2013,
night? Did you want us to see a new ideology
of Pakistan ?
Or ignite a political cold-war?
The miscreants left the holy
night of 27th Ramdhaan and chose the 28th Ramdhaan night- for their
bombers and crackers mission! Probably they were busy praying to God the night
before and preparing their “radicalized minds” to kill the innocent Lyari
children – who had come to enjoy a football match.
The funniest part of the cracker
blasts was seen at few tailor shops around Saba Commercial and Kh-e-Rahat
location- tailors already doing late sittings to earn double round the Eid –
were sweeping the broken windows away, as they claimed that few reporters had
come and interviewed them. They wanted to show off their tailor-tag shops in
the camera hoping to be in some breaking news.
Shezad of SK tailor and boutique,
whose shop was at the intersection of popular avenue and kh-e-rahat – just
behind the wineshop, told me that as there were 3 cracker blasts in DHA - so
the reporters were being dropped off – only for “live beepers” to be given in
their respective news room! DSNG’s were fallen short of transport that day to
meet the pace of “crackers ride!” The news producers couldn’t decide which
camera to switch on from The MCR! All in all – it was a classical mayhem of
“footloose!”
Seeing so much enthusiasm among
the crowd on the Cracker day of 28th Ramdhan night – a live show
telecasted on the problems of tailors would have earned that TV channel a few
more rating points. They had kept their shops opened till late night as police
men were seen interrogating them on any “suspicious movements” witnessed by
them and also they waited for their Eid tailoring payments!
I hope that some of our
electronic media producers churn up a show “Common Man – Talk show” – where a
common man can come and speak “for their problems, by their problems, of their problems!” I
assure you that you need no feasibility for its success as it will touch “the
pulse” of the nation!
Further, a good, one liner topic
for the anchors and producers to do a talk show on: “the children demanding peace
in country- which is bomb free!” Invite in your show parents - who are in
constant tension to cope with their children questions on our national
security: private security guards agencies owners – as their business is ever
rising to the demand of guards: the shop keepers facing bhata challenges. Do
not forget to invite few children who want to change their nationality. May be
if our politicians see them, they hide their own passports behind the already
“dual nationality” hyped documents!
Epilogue:
One of my very close friends
recently shifted to Islamabad from UK due
to her husband’s change in business product line. She says ever since she has
come to Pakistan , their
children keep them on toes and demand their parents to return to UK .
They say they want to give up their “green passport” where “248 prisoners are
on loose!” Such qualitative impact of bomb blasts and terrorists hide and seek,
is seen everywhere, in each household there is a different story to tell and
share – just the angle is different in the 360 degree of “bomb and cracker”
culture.
We are giving a lovely Eid gift
in the shape of haunting memories of bomb blasts - to our youth and children,
the flag carriers of Pakistan
– who would probably take a microscope and hunt the house of Quaid-e-Azam at
Ziarat Residency!
By:
KANWAL ABIDI
Free lance journalist, political analyst and President – Mishal Welfare
Trust.
Twitter:
@KANWALanalyst
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