The Pakistani victims of 9/11

Spare a thought, though, for those Pakistanis for whom the aftermath of 9/11 meant a forgotten death.


Nadir Hassan September 10, 2011

After losing in the doubles’ final at last year’s US Open, Pakistani tennis player Aisamul Haq Qureshi gave one of the most sincere and eloquent speeches you’ll ever hear, especially considering it came from a sportsman. In front of a packed stadium at Flushing Meadows, New York, close to the site of the destroyed World Trade Centre, Aisam said, “Since September 11, every time I come to the States or western countries, I feel people have the wrong impression about Pakistan as a terrorist nation. There are extremists I think in every religion but, just because of them, you can’t judge the whole country as a terrorist nation.”

It’s a great shame that Aisam fell one match short from making a repeat appearance in the final, this time to be played on the eve of the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Amid the thousands of words written about Pakistan and 9/11, cumulatively providing enough paper to burn for fuel that our energy problems can be solved in a stroke, Aisam’s sanity would have been much-appreciated.

Analysis of how 9/11 made Pakistan important again and how it forced us to strike a devil’s bargain with the US and fight the Taliban is necessary and useful. But our constant need to dice and dissect should not distract us from that fact that the 9/11 effect was thrust on us, usually in an extremely violent manner.

People like Aisam — a journeyman sportsman who specialises in doubles’ tennis, a form of the game that does not garner any attention even among tennis fanatics — suddenly become the country’s spokesmen. If you were Pakistani and had an international profile, it suddenly became your duty to humbly explain that we are people too.

It is not easy carrying the scarlet letter that is our green passport, given suspicious glances wherever you travel. Most of us would retreat and try and blend in with the anonymous masses. A few resisted the temptation of staying silent. None did it better than Aisam.

At least people like Aisam got a chance to explain that they cannot be blamed for the actions of a few, non-Pakistani terrorists. Spare a thought, though, for those Pakistanis for whom the aftermath of 9/11 meant a forgotten death.

The civilians caught in a flurry of terrorist and drone attacks may not be counted among the nearly 3,000 who died on September 11, but they are as much victims of that ignoble day as those who were trapped in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and United 93. Criticising the military leadership for its sins is fair game but that should never extend to the soldiers who undertook the toughest job any army man could ever face: fighting his own countrymen. Those who lost their lives to save this country from itself are also victims of 9/11.

In the last 10 years, dozens of Pakistani journalists, some high-profile like Saleem Shahzad, others sadly anonymous, have given up their lives to report on the terrorists in our midst. For the sake of their memories, we need to keep reminding ourselves and reminding the world that while we may have terrorists among us, it does not mean that we can all be tarred by the same accusation. We have lost too many heroes since 9/11 for that to be true.



Published in The Express Tribune, September 11th, 2011.

COMMENTS (19)

Sameer Qadir | 12 years ago | Reply

@A Reader: You are right.We should do it ourselves.But we are not, are we.We should wake up, but we are not.The Somali's may be forgotten by the world, but they certainly haven't forgotten the world.Prime example, Somali Pirates rule the seas. Imagine a nuclear armed country like Pakistan goes for Piracy when left alone.Nuclear Armed Piracy. No I don't think we will be forgotten so soon. And now with India opting for only civil nuclear technology from USA, and not buying their F-16's and F-15's, the Americans will maintain a balance in terms of nuclear assets between India and Pakistan, till the former crumbles under pressure and buys American arms. I certainly hope we wake up and rise to the occasion to become self-sufficient.But we have a massive population boom which is going to lead to our self destruction in the future.Imagine an uneducated lot going into this hi-tech world to compete with highly skilled educated people from other competitive countries. Terrorism would become their final path.So how within our meager resources are we going to stop this act. Self sacrifice is all very good.But who is going to do it.The rich man, no way.The poor man will not die for the cause of the rich man. So who will do it, no one, everyone. Until that happens, we will continue to be pawns in the game and walk the line we are told about.

pakpinoy | 12 years ago | Reply

The civilized world was looking for a way to partner with Pakistan. There was hope against hope that faced with the realities shockingly apparent before the entire world, Pakistanis would reject extremism and terrorism and join forces to fight the enemies of mankind.

What ensued shocked and disappointed all those who had that hope. Instead of truly joining forces, the military and establishment continued their duplicity. Average citizens held tightly to their warped views of the world -- 9/11 was a hoax, Muslims couldn't have done this, nor could they be doing any bad thing, America was the true enemy and our Muslim brothers were fighting against an unjust, evil power, etc, etc.

Tolerant, civilized societies like those in the West are quite quick to offer compassion and understanding. It's hard for Pakistanis to understand this as their culture and society is one the exacts revenge for even the slightest infringements on one's honor. But anyone who has spent much time in the West, if they're honest, realizes the tolerant nature of its citizenry.

The bottom line is that if Pakistan as a nation and Pakistanis as a people would have unapologetically rejected terrorism in all its forms, then the world would have embraced it as a nation and received its people like brothers. However, this did NOT happen -- not even close...

So, there is absolutely no reason to expect much sympathy now. Bad choices lead to horrible consequences in this world and in this life. Don't blame America alone for the deaths of innocents in Pakistan. The blood is on the hands of those who planned, supported and participated in the 9/11 attacks and the many before and since then.

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