by Syed Haider Raza Mehdi
26th June, 2017
Friday, 23rd June, Parachinar. 74 Shia “Kafirs”, who happened to be fasting on Jummat ul Widaa, are killed in a terrorist attack by a great Muslim suicide bomber.
Friday, 23rd June, 2017. Quetta. 13 Muslims (didn’t check if any of them were Shia Kafirs) have their poor lives cut shot by another great Muslim suicide bomber.
Friday, 23rd June. Karachi. Unidentified gunmen (definitely Muslims) opened fire on four policemen (most likely Muslims) observing Iftar, and killing them on the spot.
And an unholy cowardly, spineless silence descends on the Nation. Not everybody. But most!
After the rhetorical statement condemning the attack, not a peep from the PM, gallivanting in Saudi Arabia, desperately seeking forgiveness from Allah, for his sins of misrule, misgovernance and corruption and a get out jail card from Panamagate. And then off he goes to London, to spend Eid in his ill begotten flats and enjoy some respite from the daily flogging he gets on Panamagate. And, as his chief daughter, Maryam “Antoinette” Safdar, explains later, to attend her son’s graduation in London. But, following the Bahawalpur tragedy, tweets, “ He will not be attending the ceremony & is returning to Pak immediately. Says his foremost duty is towards the country & the People”. Because Bahawalpur is in Pakistan and Parachinar, Quetta and Karachi are in Afghanistan!
But younger Grinch says, it was some medical tests, which took the elder Grinch to London.
In London, the elder Grinch addresses a press conference, and explains in a voice full of pain and anguish, how he and his family are being hounded by the Joint Investigation team, investigating his money laundering and corruption. He cries when explaining the terrible tragedies which have befallen him and his family.
And then in full view of the world and International media, flogs the joint investigation team set up by the Supreme Court, casting doubts on his Nation’s highest judicial institution. And after he’s done speaking, they all wait for him to offer the token words of remorse and condolences on the tragedies of Parachinar, Quetta and Karachi. But this great PM of Pakistan has nothing to say. Nothing. Not a word. Till someone questions and then comes out a peep, some words of condolences for the unfortunate “Kafirs” killed in Parachinar!
And the great Khan, in Nathia Gali or Bani Gala. And frankly, I don’t give a damn. Pretender to the Takht e Lahore. What a man! Pounces on every opportunity to pontificate on everything under the Sun, but only in the Panamagate Universe. The hot winds of the suicide bomber didn’t reach him in the cool breeze of this Hill Resort or Bani Gala. And like his foe, Nawaz Sharif, also suffered from a major bout of conscience constipation. And all he could come up with was a pathetic tweet. Didn’t call a press conference or issue a detailed full statement. While it would have been wonderful to see him cut short his wonderful breezy holiday and make a token attempt to visit Parachinar. But a “tweet”? Just a tweet? A total of 90 People killed and the person who wants to be King has time for just one stupid, idiotic tweet! Yes, I’m mad, very mad at the Khan. He needs to put himself in some pain, some sacrifice, beyond the confines of Bani Gala, or delivering a rousing indictment of Nawaz Sharif in a Jalsa. He, as many times before, has once again failed to rise to the occasion and display genuine leadership!
But while one is upset at the PM, because truly, one cannot expect anything good and decent and honourable from someone who has sold his soul and is completely blinded by his wealth and devoid of self-respect. A person who has no shame in rubbishing the legacy of his forefathers and shaming himself in front of his three children as they help him in his loot and plunder. One cannot think of a more tragic example of losing one’s self respect, then have to steal, loot and plunder in connivance with you own children, have them lie for you and then expect them to respect you. What father will do that! But he has! What kind of children will respect a crook and a criminal, but his children do.
And what of our great Sipah Salar of this Muslim nuclear armed Army of Pakistan All that our Chief Raddul Fasadi had to say via his ever effervescent ISPR Tweeter in Chief of the “It is rejected fame” “Enemy to fail against resilience of Pakistan: COAS!” that’s it! 8 words in a tweet! And then this cop out “Attacks linked to militant sanctuaries in neighbouring Afghanistan” and promises greater border security.
How can a town which has several security cordons around it, comprising police, FC and Army, attacked twice before this year in January and March, 2017, have this happen to it. The Sipah Salar and the Twitter in Chief, have to do better than this for an explanation! And with all the helicopters and security at his disposal, this 6 feet 2 inch, or is it 3 inch, “brave” man couldn’t fly and be with them for a few hours. Or even to relatively “safe” Quetta. But his twitter in chief will flaunt his ‘V” victory sign, all across Social Media, after the Pakistan India Championship cricket match. Are these guys for real?
Such is our legacy, and our destiny and our leaders. The Plunderer! The Pretender! And The Phantom!
And what about our glorious media. After token acknowledgement, it was back to their verbal diarrhea! To me the insensitivity of this terrible nation is reflected in the apathy and thick-skinned insensitivity of its media. And us. All of us. The rest of this insensitive spineless, Pakistani Nation. Silent lambs. Except a few. This nation of sheep, lambs and spineless people kept quiet
Where was a “#IamParachinar” or “#IamQuetta” or even a “#IamKarachi” hashtag on twitter or Facebook?. Where were our great Facebook warriors who draped their Social media accounts with the #jesuischarlie hashtag and the Eiffel Tower?
But then this is the same nation which forgets the two prior attacks in Parachinar. A nation that forgets the Army Public School carnage, where 154 children were slaughtered and also died, Mrs. Raheela Qazi, the brave sister in law of a dear friend. A nation which forgets the death of 60,000 women, children and men killed by the TTP. Forgets the 14 mercilessly mowed down in Model Town, in broad daylight on the orders of a sitting Chief Minster and his Law Minister, Rana Sanaullah. Forgets the 88 killed in the Sehwan Sharif massacre, the Bacha Khan University massacre, the killings at the Quetta police cadet academy, the blast at the Shah Noorani mazar in Khuzdar, the 70 killed in the Quetta hospital bomb blast. And above all we forget the loot and plunder of our leaders and defend them to death.
But most tragically we forget that these same people and institutions responsible to find the guilty and the perpetrators of these terrible crimes are in most cases, either hand in glove or responsible because of their abject incompetence and their politics.
We forget that our great Interior Minister provides Abdul Aziz, safe sanctuary in Islamabad. We forget that our Army has used and in some cases still uses these same terror groups to advance their objectives, to do their dirty work in Baluchistan, and then having to give them their pound of flesh.
We forget that the National Action Plan is the most visible testimony to the terrible rot and absolute incompetence of our highest levels of leadership both civilian and military. And its Chief Military architect now sits as the “Commander” of a Phantom alliance in Saudi Arabia. The prime source of the very thought and ideology, and money and weapons which created these terrorists and groups
25th June, 2017. Oil Tanker explodes in Bahawalpur. And the poor teeming masses living in terrible servitude and robbed of every decent right to exist flock to get their hands on some “free petrol” and the whole nation wakes up. Suddenly. While all deaths are tragic, but the devastating silence at the killings in Parachinar, Quetta and Karachi, and the sudden uproar at the Bahawalpur tragedy, leaves me speechless.
The Plunderer cuts short his London visit and visits the injured in hospital as does the younger Grinch, hat and all, and the Sipah Salar!
Perhaps we haven’t sacrificed enough.
Perhaps like France who lost over 2.4 million in the two world wars, we will reject the old order and then elect a Macron.
We may need to sacrifice a few millions to wake us up!
Otherwise sleep well my dear nation, sleep well till the deluge!
Wither Pakistan?