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Don’t act surprised
We are, and have always been, a barbaric, degenerate nation revelling in bloodlust. Go read any HRCP report.
george.fulton@tribune.com.pk
Oh, the shock! Oh, the disgust! Oh, the outrage over the barbaric killings in Sialkot! The media, the blogosphere, facebookers have been going into hyperactive overdrive to out condemn one another over the senseless killings of the two teenage boys. Some have frothed with self-righteous anger, some have put the blame on poverty and illiteracy (a self-serving defence that ignores the violent solutions advocated in many a swanky drawing room discussion), some on the breakdown of the social contract between the state and the individual. But all seem shocked by the barbarity on display. But why are we surprised? Why the denial? Hasn’t it always been thus?
We are, and have always been, a barbaric, degenerate nation revelling in bloodlust. Our nation was forged during a bloody partition — in which up to one million people were massacred. One just has to read eyewitness accounts of the riots, the train butchery, the brutal rapes and slaughter of that period to get a feel of the heady, almost orgasmic, delight that the perpetrators of these crimes revelled in as the nation was born.
The lynching itself is nothing new. Read any report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and you will see that this is a fairly regular occurrence. Christians, Hindus, homosexuals, suspected paedophiles and robbers have been killed at the hands of mob justice. And what about Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his daughter Benazir? Were they not just killed by a more sophisticated form of mob justice?
Our culture celebrates barbarity and vengeance. Is the Sialkot killing that shocking when you consider the macho culture of the Punjab? Maula Jatt, Punjab cinema’s most famous film, is a three-hour advertorial for vigilante justice. The film celebrates revenge, honour killing and violence. It is entertainment for severely warped minds. One scene has our hero, Maula Jatt, axing off a leg and an arm and then catching the severed limb as it flew through the air in his bare hands! Another has Maula’s axe ripping open a man’s guts to have the intestines fly out spectacularly. This is what passes for entertainment in our land. So don’t act surprised when the red mist from a teenage boy’s head appears on your TV screens.
Barbarity and sadism are ever present in our society. We are a nation where politicians like Senator Sardar Israrullah Zehri can openly condone the burying of women alive by declaring it part of his culture. Our religious discourse often celebrates the brutality and violence of medieval Arabia. We are a nation that laps up the bile of ‘Dr’ Aamir Liaquat as he describes Ahmadis as wajab-ul-qatal (punishable by death).
And we are a nation which collectively stands watching — like the mob in Sialkot — as those very same Ahmadis are massacred by gunmen.
A friend of a friend recently announced that he would be off to Sialkot with a bunch of tough friends to avenge the murder of the boys, unaware of the irony of what he was suggesting. He was planning to commit murder and administer vigilante justice to the very same people who had committed murder and administered their form of vigilante justice. And so the cycle goes on.
So don’t act surprised. The Sialkot murders are as Pakistani as truck art, biryani and loadshedding. This has always been an ugly reality of Pakistan and always will be. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a misnomer. Pakistan has never been a pure, peaceful Islamic state. And it never will be. Rather than drawing inspiration from the Holy Quran, our nation models itself on another book — a book in which children become savages. Pakistan is not the land of the pure — we are Lord of the Flies.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 25th, 2010.
Reader Comments (354)
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I agree with Mr. Fulton and I am not going to defend myself as a Pakistani.
If we are globally labelled as extremists, it is our own created image. The Sialkot murders are not the first, our Nation has been in this kind of frenzy for a long time.
I am in grief, and ashamed to be a Pakistani.Recommend
I cannot disagree with your post, it hits the sweet spot. This is not an isolated incident, and will continue to happen if something isn’t done. What can be done about it? And so, I pose the following question.
What are articulate and well educated people such as yourself doing about it other than posting online, what can best be described as a long rant accomplishing nothing?Recommend
We are becoming “Lord of the Flies” by the minute now! A thought provoking piece, indeed! In fact another parallel can be Shakespeare’s mob in Julius Caesar and their treatment of Cinna the poet. I think your appropriation of our violent and sadist dispositons is well taken especially when we personify it in the form of culturally symbolic silver screen heroes!Recommend
excellent articleRecommend
Mr Fulton,
I dont quite agree with what you have written about Pakistan. It is too much generalisations!!Recommend
Alas!!! A sad but a true account of our nation and its society.Recommend
Well said Wasim Kakakhel.Recommend
George, You are right at some places but you cannot generalize all Pakistanis for being bloodthirsty and vindictive.. We are Pakistanis too and we strongly condemn what happened in Sialkot. How do you define our actions? We are also a part of this nation and this society.Recommend
Janab George, I really Appreciate you writing such an in-depth article about the “barbaric” history of our nation…. but I Disagree with you on the fact that it is not our NATION that is Barbaric. It’s a few good for nothing hooligans that get the best of our national media….. What about the day to day shootings in America? or the extremely degenerated social life in South Africa? or the constant Racism the entire global family has to face when they visit Australia???? people execute innocents in Japan too… In Serbia, Israel, Ghana, Uzbekistan, China……. What makes you say Pakistanis are savages???? As for your counts of Pakistani barbarism;
American Civil War (1861-1865) Total Deaths… 620,000.
America is among the top in Rape, Murder, Theft, Fraud, and
Robberies cases.
Abraham and Kennedy were both assassinated.
Have you seen Gangs of New York, or the Recent Punisher flick???
and for the MEDIEVAL violent ARABIA, The Christians too had their Crusaders, and believe me or read for yourself….. they were even more Savage than the Arabs you call “Violent”
May Peace and Truth be Blessed on you……… Salam Alaikum.Recommend
You are not wrong George….how can you be … despite spending time here u can never feel and understand like ORIGINAL people of the land. You still represent people who first tells you that “u have a right to remain silent” and then torture you to death for mustering courage to do the same. I don’t even need to get your attention on larger than life horrific events which stand out to negate whatever CIVILIZED nations project about themselves to deprived nations. I will only request you that prior to commenting on something like that first do read newspapers of civilized nations which are full of beating to death, baseball bat master piece strokes, artistic stabbings, in discriminate democratic firing incidences which will prove to you that the any human(s) possess the tendency to do horrible acts and this phenomenon can not be associated with any group of ppl, nation or area.
Your reference to riots and massacre during partition seems totally irrelevant and misplaced more like Israeli policemen blaming “Nazi death concentration camps” for killing young Palestinian boy!. One got to understand the reasons and references in appropriate manner prior to branding nation as barbaric and blood-thirsty. Yes we have our problems, yes we need to improve in lot of areas but it does not give anyone a reason to write us off as a nation. Thanks to our CIVILIZED FRIENDS strategy of treating us like guinea pigs we have never been allowed to think beyond the aspect of from where to get the next meal so expecting such nations to groom themselves in 64 years is something really far stretching for someone with appropriate knowledge.
And the movie reference taking Maula Jutt as role model is really clumsy. I mean if that aspect is taken as bench mark then half of India is illegitimate, 50% of American men are psycho killers while remaining 50% are out to save the world single handedly, all british men can jump from any building without getting hurt etc. Stores are full of movies in which Gora hero’s went on a killing spree however ironically those being killed are mostly muslim terrorist therefore does not matter at all to you or the ppl u represent.
We as a nation shall re-emerge from our miseries and mis-fortunes to prove people like you wrong… we know its going to be a long and difficult task but No one will come from OUTSIDE the Country or the World to do that but OURSELF.
Meanwhile You relocate owing to your FFC “Free Flies Syndrome” as WE can manage.
Rashid MahboobRecommend
I must say, a very well written piece up there.
I have read the comments and I have been reading whatever has been written after the incident. I am glad that majority of the people take the situation very seriously and see them selves being represented in the mob, which looked on and did noting to stop that barbarism, that day in Sialkot. I if you guys remember such an incident isn’t new. There thieves have been burned and killed in Karachi before. The only difference this time is that the thieves killed this time we not guilty. I have to admit that when these sort of incidents took place before, no one wrote about them. No one condemned then, in contrast people were found praising the mob which took the lives of those cellphone thieves in Karachi. If only these incidents were taken action against, this very saddening and depressing incident wouldn’t have taken place.
We are not a failed country, we are a failed nation. I can’t see even a single characteristic of the nation which Iqbal dreamed of and Jinnah fought for, in our nation today. We need to stop being selfish. We need to start thinking about the people around us. We need to think if what we are doing is going to affect any one else or not. We juts need to THINK! Think about the future of this country. Who is shaping the future of this country? You? Me? Or someone who is an outsider? Are we in control?Recommend
Pakistanis all over the world are greiving for these boys and their family. You need to remember that these two beautiful boys and their civilised family are also Pakistani. After seeing how well they conducted themselves in interviews and how patient and strong they are to have to live with the aftermath of this, you need to remember they too are Pakistani. So there is hope. We can bash ourselves all we want, but this one incident is a wake up call for Pakistanis everywhere. Thanks to the Pakistani media who has told this story to the world. The main culprits need to be punished, but also every single ‘police officer’ and ‘rescue worker’ who was watching is just as guily. I hope this incident shakes and wakes up Pakistan and some positive big changes occur in all of the country’s institutions. Every Pakistani should know the names of these two boys and what they went through. It is time for all to come together as one and say ‘NEVER AGAIN’.Recommend
its true, but to change things we all have to step forward, what has happened was our past for present and the future we should stand one and fight for this barbaric attitude, as in bible, PS 1:6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Process is slow, but not impossible..only we have to work continuously, because consistency is that one problem which lacked in every aspect of our life.
Good effort kept it up.Recommend
You are the perfect example of the Western Liberals that are spreading the paranoia of Pakistan’s Failure as a Nation and Humans. I live in London, a city known for its “Sophistication”, “Civilization” and “Humanitarian Acts”, yet only I as a citizen know the murky, dirty facts about the city of “BIG BEN TOWER”. Some may find this very amusing but even us Londoners don’t have immunity against violent acts of crime committed by the commoners, we also have youth killing and recording their victims and the Police not ever being where they need to be. At least in Pakistan a murderer is occasionally caught and sentenced to death. Here in the UK, the home of “Human Rights”, an eighteen month old known as Baby P, was repeatedly battered, boxed and abused until each bone in his body was broken, and eventually killed after weeks of abuse from his keepers. The killers sentenced for two and a half years and a little community service. Not far from where I work, a boy was stabbed by a youth mob, in broad daylight, for no apparent reason, the killer; a seventeen year old caught and transferred to juvenile jail. There have been fourteen incidents of youth killing and mobile video recording in the span on one week, right in the heart of the Capital of England. These killings do not include cannibalism, drug crimes, bank frauds, robberies, battering of elderlies and the vulnerable members of society for their belongings, car theft, family feuds, rape, incest rape, domestic violence, kidnapping, racism, drink driving, gun crimes, political scandals of corruption and local council corruption and benefit thefts that seem to be the life of the local news each week. It is a jungle out here, but the tale of these internal crimes and warfare never reach the headlines of the National papers, let alone the international Media. The people of this country, don’t bat an eyelid over these stories, look at the reaction of Pakistani nation, it’s a blessing. If this was an English paper and you were addressing the British Nation in a British paper, this wouldn’t go past the first proof reading. We need columnists that can write the truth not rant on about all the frustrations he/she has been bottling up inside only to vomit it all out for all of us to read, keep your opinions to yourself thank you, give us some hard hitting, genuine and quality journalism so than the reader may establish, that these are acts of the minor barbarians amongst us and we, the condemning are in fact much larger in number and that together we can succeed in putting an end to this custom, and understand, be that as it may, our sanity is still intact, we are still a very strong and peaceful nation.Recommend
Well done George. I like your insight about us. I firmly agree to what you have writen about pakistani nation.Recommend
An honest and illuminated rendering not only conditioning Pakistan but the globe with “The Only” remedy.
‘Wo Zamane Ma Moazaz tha Muslman ho kar’
‘They’ were respected in the world, as Muslims’
‘Tum Khar Hoa Tareeka Quran Ho Kar’
‘You’ are disgraced since you left the Quran’ (Iqbal)Recommend
I am impressed by the response from “Patriotic Pakistanis” to this article. We have built a strong defence with arguments “like look into your own history you bloody Goras”; “it was only a few of us, don’t generalize”; “we don’t need your advice George, we can look after ourselves”; “Indian and Hollywood movies show more violence than Maula Jutt”.
This is clearly a case of collective responsibility and let us accept it, we have failed miserably. Sialkot is not the first incident. We watched as Christians, Ahmedis, Shias and alleged decoits were butchered by mobs in frenzy. Those events were forgotten and so will this one be once the media has something else to sell in your living rooms. By the way; does anyone know what happened with those high powered inquiry committees set up to investigate and bring the culprits of those incidents to justice?
Go on living in your glorious past and dream of a wonderful future, meanwhile stick your collective heads in the sand and pretend ALL IS WELL.Recommend
Thank you George….All of them act like ducklings when Ahmadi’s are mentioned. They fear the Mullah more than GodRecommend
“We are, and have always been, a barbaric, degenerate nation revelling in bloodlust. Our nation was forged during a bloody partition — in which up to one million people were massacred. One just has to read eyewitness accounts of the riots, the train butchery, the brutal rapes and slaughter of that period to get a feel of the heady, almost orgasmic, delight that the perpetrators of these crimes revelled in as the nation was born.”
Am I the only one who finds this HILARIOUS. I mean seriously George. Seriously.Recommend
to people criticizing george’s pakistani-ness, why dont you criticize bilawal and all your other so called leaders and their families having their everything abroad. George is a Pakistani and lives here, i guess its more pakistani then many.Recommend
As a nation each of us is responsible including george whatever happened in sialkot as none of us dear to change the system. we just mutter words of condemnation and get our own way. I am contradicting George for the harsh language used against our country existence for which million of muslim lives has been sacrificed. The only way of survivability is to change centuries old system of our governance inherited from british.Recommend
george is more pakistani, dare i say the type jinnah would have been proud of. the fear of allah in these pakistanis of today is gone replaced by the fear of the mullahRecommend
I would rather comment on comments, one cannot not feel the pseudo patriotism conveyed by some of the commentators, why shoot the messanger, isn’t what George said is true in every sense of the word, isn’t “budmashi” a merit in this country. Aren’t all traits of Pakistani culture shared or lamented by George true. But like always you hide under the garb of religon or patriotism(in this case the later) to shoot down a logical discourse, I don’t know why it hurts some of us when some migrant Pakistani shows us our true colours.Recommend
I wont take this from you George. Not from you.Recommend
I want to quote Margaret Mead here:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Alright, agreed! We are seeing brutality, torture, murder, death, torture, corruption and we shouldn’t act surprised. We shouldn’t waste time being surprised, those who feel that what is happening is wrong should come together to make changes for the better.
What good does it do by sitting back, and point out the ills & evils of a society that you are yourself living in? If a person cared, they would try and find solutions for it, not just sit and complain & whine.
What we shouldn’t do is write articles like this gentleman who just sit and demoralise a society already ravaged by poverty, corruption, disasters, etc. He is not offering any solutions, trying to understand where the brutality came from, the why, where & specially the How. How can we – the individuals making this society as a whole- can make a difference towards a better Pakistan, despite all this brutality.
You’re article isn’t helping, it’s only making peeople feel worse. The reason why it’s not helping, is because this gentleman has empathy with/for/towards the people of this country or even towards humans at large. He’s the type who will sit, complain, whine, bicker…but never actually go out there and solve any problem.Recommend
I’m gutted to read this article, the way you generalized the whole nation as barbaric is utterly disappointing. The protest against this barbaric act by a mob of few heartless beasts in itself is a proof that the nation is not supportive of such acts. You should realize that such kind of incidents happen all over the world where there is no rule of law particularly in third world countries.Recommend
I think George wrote this out of anger and hatred for the people that that are responsible for such disgusting and barbaric act,I agree with that, but I think He is just trying to convince himself that this nation has been and will be full of violence, well let me be honest , as long as foreigners who have ruled this part of the continent keep telling us all this, we can never step out of the violent times and move towards something civilized, we became animals because of the atrocities and slavery forced on us by the British, in those days people who fought or got killed were called freedom fighters, and finally when it all got out of control, they left everyone fighting over land, so they can save themselves. WE ARE THE PRODUCT OF WARS AND FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, and all this has not given any Pakistani time to get educated or even build a civilized nation, every year something happens which pushes us back into the past, and we are forced to start all over.Nations require consistency to build civilized and positive race, we are just fight for food.Recommend
i m quite disappointed to read this article and fasi zaka’s generalising every Pakistani as barbaric! the world is being ruled by political agendas that are structured by US and European first worlds and i dont need to say how peaceful they are…thus giving arguments such as Maula Jutt being violent is quite a weak one..what about many english films that display equal amounts of killings and video games that sell because of their levels of violence…Recommend
im tryign to be as unbiased as possible… but you may have shown what is going on here in Pakistan, however, you highlighted maula jat… what about all the hollywood, bollywood, french, german etc movies? what do they portray? are they all about butterflies and love thy neighbour? im sorry i dont agree with the example you quoted of the film…
yes you are right about pakistan never being a peacful land… but my friend.. the same applies in the rest of the world… remember the time the skinheads in the midlands in the UK beat and murdered the innocent muslims “for the fun of it”? rem the israelis “defend themselves” by killing hundreds of innocent muslims? remember the time the weapons of mass destruction was so hyped up… people were killed there? are they all not in the same state? WE THE WORLD TOGETHER ARE GOIG NTHROUGH THIS… ITS UNJUST FOR ANYONE TO POINT FINGERS AT ANY ONE INDIVUDUAL OR NATION….
i do relaize you consider urself pakistani, which is great…. but id like to see how you would portray a picture of the west if they were in a similar situation.. “Dont act surprised” by my comments however i am surprised about the sialkot killings not only that it was a one off case but because i actually saw it with my own eyes for the first time which is why i feel stronger about this than about the zillions of rapes, killings, injustices that i read about in the paper… God bless us all.Recommend
“the attempt to achieve and maintain justice, or to undo or prevent injustice, is the one and only universal cause of violence”
–Violence By James GilliganRecommend
guys..we all need to go out of pakistan more..or come back to pakistan more..so that..if we become culturally sensitive…we can communicate that back in pakistan..i can never let go of my roots..no matter how stinky and degenerated they have become..i need to focus..and do more for the country that’s just headed for disastor all thanks to our lack of initiative..Recommend
hey guyz wait a sec…all of you just agreeing and blaming pakistan and its cultural values adb blah blah blah….its ssoooo easy to just log on and read articles and leave comments …our society is like that because all of you guyz are not there….u guyz are all sitting abroad and passing comments…its so very easy to do that…i am not being extra patriotic here…i know there are problems..i knoe there is ill literacy but to blame us and our people for the voilance at the partition in which we were the victims…and there is anger and frustration in our society reasons are many…load sheading,corrutption,inflation rates…etc..even the people who did this act..their own homes were robbed and they never got justice so frustation is there…but even this dosent justify what they did..but dont potray us like we were barbrist n we will be like this…if u are a real patriot then come back.be the part of the system.bring the change,u join the system the others will follow u.huh all of u just sitting in your laptops and just going through the articles…come out come in pakistan..join the goverment institutes…join police and give justice.join other departments whatever u r expert in…y to wait for some miracle to happen and change our fourtune up side down!!!!y to always blame others and the country..huh..we are country we are pakistan..dont forget while passing any comments that u are sayin all this to ur self!.Recommend
George with great, who are you to decide that Pakistan is barbaric?. What if I had all the power in the world and through propaganda, media, staging out things, setting up things against you, I start a negative propaganda? Wouldn’t the public think you are not fit to live in this country? They will. That is what is happening to Pakistan.
As to your response to the only film that you might have seen which is Pakistani , what do you call the films ‘SAW’ parts 1,2,3,4,5,6 ?
What do you call the case of Dr.Afia?
You need to actually broaden your mindset. If you have the power to spread out the word and reach people why not use it in a positive way to reflect Pakistan, mind it, it’s very easy to point fingers at some one but to go and correct things it’s difficult.
The Story of Pakistan, its struggle and its achievement, is the very story of great human ideals, struggling to survive in the face of great odds and difficulties. – JinnahRecommend
TRUERecommend
I never realized how complex the life of a self-loathing bitter cockrach can be. Perhaps Fasi Zaka could use your little note as inspiration for his next masterpiece entitled “The memoirs of a iconoclast Parasite”.
I cant wait for it, im sure its gonnaa be a cynical gem enriched with some more of Zaka’s classic revelations of “Reason why this country is a hellhole”.
And than again, why shouldnt Zaka be a critic of the very place that has given him his Identity and sustainance. In fact, we all as “Infectious Pests of this Planet”, should JOIN FASI in crippling this country of its well being. Its something that would be more easier to do than actually working for the betterment of this nation. Afterall we have been fighting for Pakistans prosperity for decades now….. why not just give up and count our riches (like this herald author). Im just positive that thats exactly what we need and for that THANKYOU eR. FASI. You are surely the revolutionist that is needed to mend this wretched country of its disease, and it’s people!Recommend
“A GLIMPSE INTO THE LIFE OF A PAKISTANI COCKROACH (KKK Enthusiast)”
Hi my name is Amima and i am the biggest supporter of KKK. One of my main dilemma in life is that I have a GREEN PASSPORT, which means that I always get my visa refused to the ALMIGHTY United States of America! In my leisure time and in the comfort of my air-conditioned room, I enjoy dewelling and sulking on Everything and Anything that is wrong with this Godforsaken place that I have been SHUNNED IN!!! I have an extremely low self-esteem but I cope with it by bashing and thrashing everyone around me. I have recently been woken up from my deep stupor of disillusion and have finally been enlightened by the works of The Great Master Mr.FASI ZAKA and his ingenious side kicks. I have no shame of being called a COCKROACH infact I am worse than that. I am the filth of the world, the unwanted spa of humanity, the scum that is more disgusting then all things rotten that crawl on this earth and by only acknowledging and accepting that i can totally be set free of my useless, worthless, shallow and benign existance. Oh WHY CANT OTHER PEOPLE ALSO ACCEPT THIS….WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY DON’T THEY ADMIT THIS HARSH BITTER REALITY AND STAND CORRECTED by big patriots and nationalists like George Fulton. Afterall more than anyone else’s, IT IS George ka Pakistan, isn’t it???Recommend
@Aown Kazmi: Extremely well said, That is their exact “point of view” of our Nation, and our Country.Recommend
I agree with the article except for “and it never will be”. I believe theres still hope for us all. I loved the article except for the disappointed undertone but then I cant blame George, I blame all and none of us for all this.Recommend
Heinous crimes occur all over the world. I’m not even from Pakistan, but we can’t subject this nation to the errors of a few. Our religion teaches us that if you kill one human being, it’s as if though you have killed all of humanity. These criminals will pay, there is no doubt. At the same token, we cannot blame George for writing what he has, he’s just doing his job. Now is everything that he’s written a 100% correct, maybe some. My best friends are from Pakistan, they aren’t barbaric like this, they are civilized people.
The biggest challenge here is that these people are not educated, that’s why they did what they did. And when I say education, that means having a good balance between the education of Islam and your normal everyday school education.
Rather than cursing these criminals, let’s pray that Allah (swt) give them the Nayk Hidaayat and Thaufeeq. Doing to them, what they did to those innocent boys will not solve the problem. Instead, we’re letting the ideology live on, “an eye for an eye.” Pray for good and bad people, not just for the good. Let’s not let our emotions run wild, use the same energy and lift up your hands and ask Allah (swt) to help societies like this, help them get re-educated, learn the difference between right and wrong. Kaafir ko sazaa do gai, tho is may kuch faidah nay. Lekin samajdaar thareekai se us ko ilm diyogay, tho sabki betheri hain. Always remember this. Our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), didn’t take revenge because they wanted to hurt him, but he educated them, that’s what we’re missing out on my Brothers and Sisters. Let’s go to these societies and educate them.Recommend
George ! i really do not know u . but i do know pakistanis … they are an underconfident nation truely impressed by white skin (playing GOD for them)That is why u have been appreciated by so many of again i would say innocent, unaware, pakis who would even change thier father if a “GORA SAB” just gives them 10 min of his life .Actually pakistanis are not barbaric they are just slaves not yet able to comprehend the event of 14th August 1947. But when u call us barbaric a hope twinkles in me that one day inshallah Pak will also rise as a super power like British who would go to nations for trade never letting them have aclue that actually they had come to trade for their independance and thei childrens future. Just like America who abolished the native race of the land by brutal mass killings on the name of friendship and then to show their children that this was once a race now preserved in reserves. then they went to iraq for weapons of mass destruction got hold of them and used them rightaway. Holocast of jews was not done by this nation. Remember the masscres by Romans, masseres of central asia. Guantanamo bay is not pakistans property. Nation do develop this way ur nation did.And for those who have left pakistan, their mother land, can never be in a mothers lap again.Pity for them .Recommend
George – well written.
Summed it up well in 5 years!
jo nafrat ka beech boya 63 years ago, usee nafrat ka phal kha rehay hain hum.Recommend
Mr George, I found your article utterly disgusting.
Where a large section of the Pakistani population is condemning the act , what logic compels you to say that our society celebrates barbarity .
Instead of highlighting the factors that have compelled this nation to this extent, that we had to see this day, you go around making racist nonsense claims. Please do not forget that it is the West that has forced Pakistan into its present conditions .
Do not intermix movies with reality . If movies had an effect on how a majority of people in a society behaved , Hollywood would not have existed.
I hope you produce more thought out articles in the future or not produce any at all.Recommend
For all of you who have issues with George’s article, please read this fab piece written by Anas Abbas….
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/note.php?note_id=466755342274&id=100000832604151&ref=mfRecommend
The killing of the two teenage boys was indeed heinous and barbaric, but it isn’t wise to label the “entire” Pakistani nation as blood thirsty and uncouth.
George, How do you think you can justify calling yourself a part of the Pakistani nation, when your article radiates the hatred and annoyance you have for this nation? A true Pakistani wouldn’t go abusing his nation, culture, rituals openly on a digital communication platform – where the whole world can read your thoughts.
Living in a country for a couple of years, learning its language doesn’t make you a part of its nation; its by doing some thing productive for the country that you become a part of it.
Try doing something good for Pakistan for as long as you stay here, rather than spreading negativity, ill will and irritation amongst its masses.Recommend
Dear Mariam,
Here are 2 sons of the soil who have written exactly what George is saying. Does this lessen the pain this message has brought you?
http://aacounterterror.wordpress.com/2010/09/02/the-denial-of-the-lambs-by-anas-abbas%EF%BB%BF/
http://tribune.com.pk/story/42158/pakistan%E2%80%99s-human-cockroaches/
Have you even tried to find out what George has done for the people of Pakistan? Do not kill the messenger!!! He is telling you exactly what you and i come across every day in cities, towns and villages of Pakistan. Please, instead of criticizing George, lets try to work towards getting rid of the brutality which our fellow Pakistani’s have descended into!!! Lets demand for and education system that teaches tolerance, sympathy and human rights. Let us teach our children to respect other human beings. Let them know that Abdul Sattar Eidhi should be their Hero. These are a few steps that you and i can take on individual basis and make Pakistan a better place. Peace!Recommend
Dear Hadia,
i have read the article by fasi zaka that you mentioned, dont you feel the difference in hit that you get from both articles. while fasi zaka’s article its like cursing ourselves and to feel ashamed of our deeds. when i read fasi zaka article, i felt like hes showing us in the mirror where we stand and to make us think about our every act we do. when i read the George’s article, i felt like someone is telling me to be ashamed of being a pakistani, just read following words again
“Our nation was forged during a bloody partition — in which up to one million people were massacred. One just has to read eyewitness accounts of the riots, the train butchery, the brutal rapes and slaughter of that period to get a feel of the heady, almost orgasmic, delight that the perpetrators of these crimes revelled in as the nation was born”
“So don’t act surprised. The Sialkot murders are as Pakistani as truck art, biryani and loadshedding. This has always been an ugly reality of Pakistan and always will be”
this words are not making me ashamed of my act but are giving me an impression that being a pakistani i am bound to be like this and i always will be. and most of his words itself excludes himself from pakistani nation.Recommend
and Hadia
also please read the endings of both articles u can find the difference
FASI ZAKA
“Truth is, there is only one way to get change, and it’s not hanging the people who killed these boys. It is raising your voice to contradict people who advocate death for others, no matter who they are speaking of. To internalise that murder of any kind, for anyone is wrong. Sounds easy? Well just try it.”
GEORGE:
So don’t act surprised. The Sialkot murders are as Pakistani as truck art, biryani and loadshedding. This has always been an ugly reality of Pakistan and always will be. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a misnomer. Pakistan has never been a pure, peaceful Islamic state. And it never will be. Rather than drawing inspiration from the Holy Quran, our nation models itself on another book — a book in which children become savages. Pakistan is not the land of the pure — we are Lord of the Flies
feel the difference ..Recommend
Saad, very good analysis. I totally agree with you on the final comments both of them made in their articles, but I believe George wishes well for Pakistan as well and was just venting his anger. At times I feel the same way as George did but the only difference is he expressed his thoughts publicly and is subject to scrutiny being a journalist.Recommend
That is what I’ve always thought.Recommend
@ Ayesha Hoda
So im guessing you’re an expert on naming state’s right? Humor me with what you actually do think this country should have been called?Recommend
Why does the blame game begin after every incident in the country? Don’t we already know it is us who have indeed done this to ourselves? Why can’t our writers talk about hope and bringing about a positive change rather than spreading hate and leading us to the point that our systems finally become immune to all these issues.
It’s true that the people who can really help are the writers, poets of a nation..but none of our writers are ever going to try that. Aren’t we aware already of what Pakistan and it’s people are facing? This is no time to be reminded of what happened 50 to 60 years ago. Things were different back then, there were honest people around, is there anyone now with a clear conscience?
Also, Maula Jutt does not define our culture. We are Pakistanis, not Punjabis, Sindhis, Muhajirs, Pathans. This is the sole issue facing our nation. We are everything …but Pakistani.Recommend
@AR
I agree with you. Writers and Poets can play a big role to bring about a big change but they hardly care about it. There is no one like Iqbal (no one can reach to his level – all I meant is no one is trying on that side). They are flaring up the already burnt wood. Anyways, hit on these pages:
http://amnatariqshah.blogspot.com
http://amnatariq.blogspot.com
You will see this writer is talking about hope and love. From the former, read both the posts and from the latter read her ‘Happy Birthday, Pakistan’. Thanks!Recommend
Sounds like another drawing room discussion.
And when you say “we”, do you include yourself?Recommend
Don’t mind the critique…..good article…However, to be fair barbarism is built in human nature. Wearing suits and ties has not changed our barbaric nature. Educated and advanced communities are also barbaric its only that it is manifested in subtler ways….Where are we all heading?Recommend