This is in connection with the September 21, 2012, the day declared as the Day of Love for Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by the federal Government and protest day by various political and religious parties. The day was hijacked by some extremist elements and the media which chose to show clips of the looting, arson and killings only. Unfortunately the hypocritical behavior of our media is not understandable, they look towards sponsorship and chose to cover only those incidents which they believe would enhance their rating.
Majority of our so-called intellectuals on electronic media discuss and analyze the incidents and problems without taking into consideration the ground realities in an inconclusive manner. No doubt, incidents of looting, arson and burning of private and public properties are not liked by any sane person. However, we have to look into the causes that why some people may be 2% of our population choose to acts like this. We saw scenes of looting and arson in United Kingdom last year and USA few years back similar to the one which we saw on our screens on Friday. The only difference is that they learnt a lesson and tracked down the real miscreants behind them and made accountable each and every culprit through CCTV coverage. We on the other hand while sitting in our lounges issued sweeping statements blaming all the people who chose to protest.
We should appreciate some political parties especially PTI etc. Whose leaders along with their supporters protested in a peaceful manner and condemned the movie. However, the politicians and the rulers who announced the day as a Protest day and remained inside their houses due to security concern should be condemned. We should also look into the fact that the attitude of the miscreants clearly depict the widening gap between the “Haves” and “Have not” as they could be seen looting, laughing and enjoying which is not a good omen.
Khalid Khan
Lahore