COMMENT – Among the countless banners that swarm and disfigure Karachi, a recent addition certainly captures attention, not only with the massive overdose of ‘hate radiation’ it emits, but also because of the name of the organisation, which is responsible for craftily putting it up at prominent locations across the city.
In this new entry, the banned outfit Jamaatud Dawa promises to wreak vengeance on India. Apparently, these banners were prepared for anti-NATO protests. But why seek revenge against India, which had nothing to do with the attack on our soldiers in Mohmand?
This might help explain: the Jamaatud Dawa, which calls itself a charity, was banned by the Pakistani government after the United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions on the organisation in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attack. It is believed that the Jamaatud Dawa is actually the banned terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has been held responsible for numerous terrorist attacks on Indian soil, but the ‘charity’ denies that. However, it does not take Einstein to figure that one out after looking at the banners. They tell us about a deeply ingrained obsession with hating India – it is another matter as to why the members of an organisation, which has probably been banned twice for its activities, can freely go around hanging banners across the city, whereas pillion riding citizens can hardly escape the ‘vigilant’ eyes of our police.
Hate is increasingly becoming the dominating component of our society over the years, so much so that it might overshadow its opposite word with the same number of letters some day. Similar to the song “Love to Hate You”, it appears that many of us have based our existence on hating others. At first, India used to feature solely in our society’s sphere of hate; in some kind of a twisted manner, Pakistanis draw strength from hating their neighbouring country. Then the sphere stretched further to include the West, particularly the US. But it did not stop there. Hate is a very strong and dangerous emotion. It stifles an individual’s ability to reason and it becomes hard to distinguish between friend and foe. That is why our society has developed ethnic and sectarian cracks. Any difference – language, sect, caste or opinion – becomes an excuse to hate… people always find a way.
Our society needs to realise that hate does not solve problems. In fact, it multiplies them.
One look at the faces of frenzied mullahs participating in frequently held protest rallies – eyes widened with fury and shouting in a fit of rage – is enough to send a shudder down the spine because the path we are moving on leads to self-destruction.
not loves to hate
we are born to hate
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