This letter is with reference to beheading of security personnel by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). This is not the first incident of this nature committed by the Taliban rather they have committed this savagery several times before. The most despicable part of this event is that the Taliban not only owned up to the beheading but also invited the media to see and broadcast their perverted philosophy to the world.
There is no denying the fact that it is a criminal and savage incident and must be condemned by any person who calls himself a human being. But unfortunately, large sections of the political world, the media, the legal community and the ulema have maintained a deafening silence about such actions.
The enormity of the crime isn’t adequately conveyed by such terms as ‘war crimes’ or ‘human rights violations’. There is a dire need to pay attention to the rising acts of Taliban savagery and they need to be condemned by all factions of society. Letting the Taliban’s cruelty be lost in the din of Pakistan’s recurring political crises would be disastrous. Staying mum and silent on these inhumane acts is nothing but a greater source of shame, which should be changed if one is to recognise the harsh reality of militancy in the country.
A’AYAN HUSSAIN
Rawalpindi
(II)
After a spectacular display of judicial activism by the Pakistani Supreme Court during last few weeks, we witnessed an outstanding act of journalistic activism on June 25. That afternoon, all of a sudden all TV channels were in the grip of only one breaking news that President Zardari has commuted the death sentence of an Indian spy Sarabjit Singh who was earlier convicted in the 1990 bomb blast case. That was enough for the right-wing media mongers and religious parties to create havoc on electronic media. Most of the TV talk shows competed with each other to condemn the president’s humanitarian act to release a prisoner who has already spent 21 years in jail. By late evening, the president’s spokesman clarified that Sarabjit Singh’s sentence had not been commuted but another Indian spy Sarjit singh was being released.
Keeping aside the mix-up of the spies’ names which kicked the right-wingers into a frenzy, I have only one question for these religious parties and their media-mongers who must have spent a sleepless night on June 25: why was there was no hue and cry and condemnation when the Swati Taliban attacked Pakistani army posts last Sunday in Upper Dir wherein scores of soldiers were killed and injured. Later, the Taliban released a video showing the remains of 17 beheaded Pakistani soldiers.
Why the religious parties maintained a pin drop silence on the Dir atrocity. What should we call this – hypocrisy, double standards or simply can’t afford to even pay lip service to condemn our own ‘blue-eyed boys’.
MASOOD KHAN
Saudi Arabia
