THANK GOD I AM SAFE!

Are you on a Mobile? Click Here

After Abbas Town, Tragedy of Joseph Colony…

Abbas Town Karachi

“One day suddenly I heard a noise in the street; when I peeped out of the door to know what is happening what I saw was few veiled persons were dragging some people. I saw one of the people was my beloved friend who was begging for his release like other people. But those unveiled persons were having no effect of their cries and were dragging them. When I looked around me, I saw that like me many other people were silently observing all this. However I gathered my courage and asked one of the veiled person with fear in the heart, “what is all this happening, under what charges and where are you taking these people”? Veiled person snared at me and replied are you a passer by or live here, where is your house. I pointed towards my house he looked towards my house in such a way as he was trying to search something there. Very proudly and roughly he replies, “you should be thankful that door of your house is not big otherwise we would have kidnapped you as well because our boss has ordered that in the city without any differentiation whoever has a big door should be abducted and thrown in front of the hungry lions”.

            For a moment this came to my mind that I should raise my voice against this because the king of the city has no time from looting the exchequer or funds raised by taxes imposed on public and Police is busy in providing protection to him. Than I look towards the abducted persons who had now gone far away yelling for help; the thought of their end made afraid and the agitation that I had to fight for them subdued and thanked god that at least I was safe.

Joseph Town Lahore

            After few days once again I heard the cries in the street; I opened my door with pounding heart and what I saw was that the veiled persons were trying to drag my neighbor and he was resisting to his best. When he looked at me he yelled at me to help him, in the meanwhile more veiled persons came and started dragging him. He once again cried for help but I was not ready to start enmity with these veiled men; at least I loved my life so I turned my face aside. At this my neighbor tried to remind me that how he helped me at different times but I ignored, while I was aware that my neighbor was very noble, good mannered person. I was feeling afraid even to think about the lame excuse that these veiled persons has fabricated against my neighbor and next time how many persons will be taken away in such a manner; I was just satisfied that at least I was not one of them. I did not felt any need to enquire anyone that what was the crime of my neighbor.

Injured Children at Abbas Town Karachi terrorist attack

            And one day someone knocked my door harshly; I opened the door with the fear. What I saw was that veiled men were standing in front of me, they caught me dragged I tried to resist and cried that let me go, I have not hurt anyone, I have even stopped going out of house so that I can be saved but they did not listen to me. When I looked around I saw that many of my neighbors were looking at my helplessness. I requested them for help but no one came ahead to help me; it seemed as I have committed such a crime that no one was ready to help me. I got hysteric and started yelling, “Yes I am culprit, my silence and my apathy is my crime. I saw my friends, my neighbors, my relatives being torched being dragged away but I kept silent despite of being aware that they were innocent. I was not only satisfied that I was spared but happy as well. Alas! If I had raised voice against the cruelty and barbarism at that time, now others would had courage to protest and stand up against murders and abductions and now I would have been safe as well””.

            Here not only me we all have become senseless. We have no knowledge of humanity or religious harmony. We have no idea what is the value of freedom. We have forgotten the sacrifices that were given for the freedom of the motherland. We have ignored the rapes and murders, the families devastated we have even forgotten that after separation thousands of Muslims had thrown their daughters into wells in order to save them from Hindus and Sikhs and despite of all this hundreds of thousands innocent girls were kidnapped by Sikhs. Ask those elders who had traveled the trains from India to Pakistan with badly tortured and cut down dead bodies and were saved  as a miracle. Had anyone dared to calculate that how many of these dead bodies belonged to Shia, Sunni, Deobandi, Wahabi or Brelvis? Than why this differentiation? Who is cultivating this differentiation and hatred in our society and minds? Who are those that are playing with the blood of innocent of children and women? Who are those who set the colony of Christians at fire in moments?

A Family in a devastated house at Abbas Town Karachi

            Are not we dying in episodes? Why we have become apathetic, why our emotions are dead? Why we cannot understand that if this game of terrorism and murders continues than including me no one would be safe? Why are we day dreaming that we are safe in our houses? In beginning people were becoming target of terrorism outside of their houses but now there is no place to hide. Look at the Abbas Town tragedy at Karachi; these people we inside their houses when they became target of terrorism and their houses were converted into their houses; the dead included Shiites as well as Sunnis.

            Where is state, what did our rulers think that after every tragic incident of terrorism after announcing the value of dead bodies and destroyed property they fulfill their duty? While after every terrorist tragedy it is portrayed as this was due to the fight between Shia and Sunni, if this is so then there should have been Shia-Sunni riots in streets of the country everywhere. But this is not so; than who are those targeting Shia and Sunni Masajid and sacred places. The most shameful aspect is that the Interior Minister of the country in spite of fulfilling his duty of eradicating terrorism starts blaming opposition for terrorism, alleges opposition of supporting terrorism; than is not this clear that he is encouraging anti-state elements and covering the terrorists? What type of politics is this that is supporting enemies of the motherland?

Joseph Town Lahore

            It is the duty of the state to safeguard the rights, lives and property of the public. Even Kings had taken themselves as duty bound to protect the public rights but the public representatives gifted to us by the democracy enclose themselves in bunker like palaces and leave public on the mercy of terrorists. However they should be warned that if terrorism got out of control than their bunker like palaces would not be able to save them.

            We should think that during the last two months of the terrorist activities in Quetta, than Karachi tragedy and now tragedy of Joseph Colony Lahore why only Two Nations Theory is being criticized by Indian channels and a wave propaganda has been launched that separation of Pakistan in the name of Islam is the cause of extremism (who will question them about Hindu extremism and Hindu terrorists that are actual culprits of the terrorism not only in Pakistan but in India itself as well). Although Chief Minister of Punjab has taken appreciable steps for restoring affected Christian families but this is not enough. Pakistan is the country of Muslims and as a Muslim this is our belief that Islam is a religion of peace than why there is murder of human beings is going violating teachings of Islam? Why Muslims as well as minorities are feeling insecure? After watching the scenes of bomb blasts on TV children are raising questions that why these blasts are happening, why there is no one to stop them? Now how one can explain to these innocents that public representatives who have taken oath to protect the property and lives of public have no time from looting national resources and oppressing people on the basis of powers of state and horse trading for their eternal rule; in such situation how can they protect public???

Written by Khalid Baig,

Published in Daily Nawa-i-Waqt,

Dated: 15 March 2013.