It is time ...

On October 9, 2012, little Malala Yousufzai was shot in the head and neck by a brave and, according to Imran Khan, an ‘ideological’ member of the great TTP, as she travelled home from school in a Suzuki van. Two masked men (which leads one to ask immediately why they were so cowardly as to mask themselves if they are so ‘ideological’?) stopped the van; one of them climbed aboard; asked the girls which of them was Malala; put a .30 Takharov pistol to her head and pulled the trigger.

Two of her friends who were sitting by her were also injured, one in the hand as it was then reportedly raised above and in front of Malala’s head, and the other in the foot as the brave warrior fired one more time hitting Malala in the neck, the bullet piercing it and exiting to hit the third child in the foot.

On the same day, the Pakistan Army moved Malala to CMH Peshawar by helicopter where the COAS went to see her and said, as reported in this newspaper of record: “The cowards who attacked Malala and her fellow students have time and again shown how little regard they have for human life and how low they can stoop to impose their twisted ideology.”

‘He said this was not the first time that militants had targeted children, the attack on Parade Lane in Rawalpindi “was a reminder of their bloodlust”.

‘Quoting Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) saying that “the one who is not kind to children, is not amongst us”, Kayani said the militants did not have respect for the words of the Holy Prophet (pbuh).

‘He said, “By attacking Malala, the terrorists have failed to understand that she is not only an individual, but an icon of courage and hope, which vindicates the sacrifices that the people of Swat and the nation had given ...”

‘He said, “These are the intrinsic values of an Islamic society, based on the principles of liberty, justice and equality of man. Islam guarantees each individual — male or female — equal and inalienable right to life, property and human dignity, with faith and education as the chief obligations to achieve enlightenment.”

“We wish to bring home a simple message: We refuse to bow before terror. We will fight, regardless of the cost we will prevail,” he said. The COAS reiterated that the terrorists underestimated the resolve and resilience of the people of Pakistan.

“It is time we united and stood up to fight the propagators of such barbaric mindset and their sympathisers.”’

On October 15, Malala was flown to Birmingham for further treatment and on October 16 it was put out that the army had, as usual, passed the buck to the civilian leadership having said repeatedly in the past that it would move into North Waziristan at a time of its choosing. On October 16, our National Assembly quite cravenly shelved the resolution for backing military action against the terrorists. It was heart-breaking to see our legislators miss an opportunity when even the army leadership was on board for action to target those among the Taliban who are unmoved by any argument for the rule of law, as part of a Grand Strategy to defeat the mindset that shoots little girls simply because they demand an education.

But why were we ‘heart-broken’? Why do we Pakistanis hope against hope? Why do we cling to straws as we are swept along in a swift and deadly river? Why don’t we realise that all of the standing at the crossroads is over and done for us? That there are no more crossroads for our tortured land and it’s hapless, helpless people; that we’ve taken the wrong turns at all of the many crossroads that did appear before us? That we are at the mercy of self-aggrandising elites who do not even have the courage to call the TTP the TTP when its spokespeople openly and arrogantly accept responsibility for shooting helpless little girls?

And Imran Khan wants to separate the ‘ideologues’ from the ‘good’ Taliban, and then have the tribes go after them? Does he even know how many peace deals these rogues have gone back on? Is he aware of the brazenness with which they are now operating: in the latest action on the outskirts of the city of Peshawar attacking a police station, and when the SP of the area appeared in defence of his by then scattered men, cutting off his head and taking it along with them? The man doesn’t cease to amaze one, just as the brutes of the TTP never fail to astound one with their savagery.

One cannot conclude a piece on the pusillanimous way in which our state is ceding more and more ground to the terrorists who are hell-bent upon its takeover without one more comment on our cowardly National Assembly which, too, has chosen to put up its hands in surrender. Kudos to Altaf Hussain, however, for at least having the guts to stand against the terrorists.

It is time, my friends; it is time.

A little about the Qabza Group I am fighting in Shahdara, Lahore, with the help of some excellent and fair-minded civil servants. As one delves further into the matter and learns more about the identities of these Yahoos and their ‘managers’, one is astounded at the names that turn up. Friends who I deeply trust have all the details in case of  ‘need’ if you know what I mean ...

Let me end by appreciating Shahbaz Sharif’s actions re: his son-in-law’s involvement in the Bakery Beating case, and his subsequent arrest. He has been sent to jail: surely a first. However, when we talk about the high-handedness of the powerful, we must recall many other incidents: the army’s kidnapping and thrashing a policeman for checking a general’s car’s blackened windows; a whole army platoon’s invasion of the Motorway police’s Lahore HQs on Multan Road and beating up of several policemen including officials; Rangers beating up policemen in Liberty. And of course, Imran Khan’s slapping a reporter many years ago! No action whatsoever was taken then.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2012.