“Only a cleaning of our whole society can remove this sickness from our soul”
A country consists of a landmass within a certain geographical boundary. A state consists of institutions, military might, economic policies and legal framework. A nation, however, consists of a lot more.
A nation is the sum total of the hopes and dreams of each individual residing within it. Afraad ke haatho’n mein hai aqwaam ki taqdeer, har fard hai millat ke mudarrar ka sitara –Iqbal. It is an organism, which grows in triumph and shrinks during tribulations. And by virtue of being a living organism, it is susceptible to death.
Last week, the nation of Pakistan was delivered a debilitating blow when a group of cowards stopped a van of schoolgirls in Sawat, identified one of them as Malala Yousafzai, and shot her in the head and neck – all in the name of their brand of religion and shariah.
Each time that sequence of events is described, I cannot help but analogize how Malala’s story is a depiction of the story of Pakistan itself: Pakistan, like Malala, is young and struggling to educate itself; Pakistan, like Malala, is trying to survive, against all odds, in a war-torn region; Pakistan too has been targeted and shot in the head, not by any outsider, but instead by a group of her own people; and now, lying half-conscious in the intensive care unit with a bullet lodged in the head, Pakistan, like Malala, is also praying for a miracle to breathe life into her once again.
And in this very analogy, lies the appeal of the Malala story, which has touched millions of hearts. Like all stories worth telling, this is a story of hope in unrelenting circumstances and unflinching adversities.
But moving away from the symbolism, it is hard to conceive of the malicious aforethought that has gone into the perpetration of this event. Just a few days after a ‘peace rally’, aimed at fostering seeds of dialogue with the ‘enemy within’, this barbaric act has jolted everyone back to reality. Remote-controlled drones are not the only threat to our statehood. The enemy within is real. It is ugly. It is inhumane. And it is beyond reason. It is not persuaded by rhetoric on crimes against humanity, or crimes against the state. It is committing crimes against its own God, and doing so with impunity.
The aftermath of the Malala incidence has been disappointing for now. While, on the one hand, the passion and fervor with which our people have been praying for Malala’s health is praiseworthy. On the other hand, impotence of the state in countering this barbaric aggression, and bringing the perpetrators to justice, has been disappointing. We do not need ‘muzammat’ from the president, prime minister, the chief ministers, the army chief and political party leaders. The time for condemnation, however strongly worded, has long been over. The nation is now in the ICU with a bullet lodged in the head. We need a surgery, and it needs to happen now. Any delay in this regard will result in permanent disability, even if we somehow manage to save our nation’s life.
Options? There are primarily two. One is dialogue, while the other is use of force. Our own history, as well as international experience, bears testament to the idea that violence has never been a successful solution to political problems. And in this moment of passion, despite all temptation, we will do well to be advised of the lessons of history. However, the other option, that of initiating a dialogue of some sort with these wretched souls, is just not something I can stomach suggesting. Two main reasons for that: one, who wants to sit across a table and discuss terms with a faceless man who has just shot your daughter in the head because she wanted to go to school? And two, any initiation of dialogue with them might suggest that their tactics of terror are working, bringing our nation to its knees, and submitting us into accepting terms that are agreeable to them. And this, even if it miraculously solves all problems for now, will set an extremely dangerous precedent for future generations, demonstrating that terror and barbarianism (if done belligerently, targeting innocent children) is a workable model for imposing inhumane values within our nation.
Malcolm X, the African American revolutionary, once said that each time he saw a black child lynched in America, the anger inside him demanded that he took some part of the ‘system’ (any part!) and broke it. I never really understood what that meant, or what kind of anger and helplessness would compel a man to such thoughts. Until now. Because each time Malala’s interviews are rerun on the television, or her photographs appear with ‘lab pe aati hai dua ban ke tamanna meri’ playing in the background, I just want to take some part of the ultra-conservative system imposed in our tribal areas (any part) and break it.
But then Robert Kennedy’s immortal words must be remembered, “Violence breeds violence, repression brings retaliation, and only a cleaning of our whole society can remove this sickness from our soul.”
May that most merciful Allah grant us the wisdom to navigate ourselves, through these violent times, and onto peaceful shores! Amen.
beautifully worded:)
Amen
At least use correct spelling if you have to pretend to be a Muslim.
I like this article. As a nation we need to stand united and work together to eliminate this cancer from our society. There should be no other opinion on this stance. As mentioned timing is the key, it's now or never.
we are living in such a country where there is low literacy rate as compare to other countries but sorrowfully,if someone tries to make study level best and took some actions for the betterment and for the rights of his area they tries to kill him as a painful incident has been just happen with an innocent young girl Malala.shamefully our government did not do anything. they just say "hum muzammat kartay hein" but the truth is that our politician are not well educated what they feel or do obout Malala's incident.we need actions not MUZAMMT..
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