The writer works as a research professional in a local company and can be reached @einsjam
June 15, 2013 will be remembered forever. On this day, the beautiful building that adorns our hundred rupee note was burnt and destroyed by militants, who flung hand grenades at Jinnah’s residency in Ziarat. All the historical photographs and furniture were destroyed. As always, the militants, who committed this despicable act of senseless violence, escaped unhurt.
The Ziarat residency was constructed in 1892 with the idea of it becoming a sanatorium due to the presence of a Juniper forest in the area in which it was constructed. Later on, it was converted into a summer residence of the agent to the governor general. But, it being the building where Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah spent his last days is what it makes it truly historical. Nations all around the world preserve such places, securing them, guarding them from any calamity — man-made or natural. However, we failed to protect our revered founder’s second-last earthly residence.
It was a majestic building, with much history attached to it. Its walls were privy to the musings of the ailing leader, who was concerned about the genocide that was occurring along the border; who was worried about the future of the newly-created state; who was constantly pondering over who would replace him in the future and whether he would be able to keep the ship of Pakistan afloat. Its walls saw Jinnah fighting bravely against tuberculosis, unwilling to give up. The house is now a pile of rubble and Jinnah’s memory from it has been torched.
The very fact that the founder of the nation’s residence has now been burnt down to the ground, speaks volumes about what we as a nation have come to since 1948. It is not just about the priceless archives, photos and Quaid’s furniture; it is not about the loss of a tourist hotspot in Ziarat. It’s about preserving the memories of a man who gave his all for our freedom. It is about preserving the idea of Pakistan, where every ethnicity and religious group is free to live and practice its customs, because this has nothing to do with the business of the state.
Yet, when intolerance and tyranny seeps in, it destroys the ideals on which this state was founded upon. Burning down the Ziarat residency was a symbolic act of terrorism — an act by militants to show the world that they don’t want the Quaid’s Pakistan anymore. By burning down the Ziarat residency, terrorists have shown that the idea of being part of the Quaid’s Pakistan is abhorrent to them.
In a way, the burnt down hulk of Ziarat residency is a perfect metaphor for the state of Pakistan’s affairs. Pakistan lies burnt to the ground with militancy, corruption and nepotism rife. I hope our authorities will take appropriate steps to ensure the security of all places associated with the Quaid-e-Azam. I think we owe him, at least, this much! For now, Dear Quaid, I am sorry we couldn’t protect your legacy despite all that you gave us.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2013.
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COMMENTS (25)
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Those who did this have shown that they never wanted Quid to make Pakistan and wanted Hindu domination. Lets all treat them like hindus treat Muslims as this is what they want.
Those who do name calling and expect roses from the Balochis; must also recognise the identity and the culture of Baluchi people and rspect it categoricaly. The rest is merely the expression of emotions which impact the function of human brain and only irrational rhetoric spurts out.. We are witnessing in Pakistan a clash of cultures and this was not considered by the political leadership either before or after the birth of Pakistan. .. .
Rex Mnor
Salam to all. what do the baloch for wrong? Baloch just want back own freedom and freedom is human,s basic righ. Before of Pakistan creation was Balochistan a sowerign country and Pakistan recognized Balochistan as a sowerign country. Mohammad Ali J was servant for the Baloch king and he got salary from him to protect the Baloch interest against Britain.
The tone of this articles puts Baloch nationalists under the same umbrella as other terrorist organizations. This is completely wrong. They are not religious fascists. They are separatists with legitimate cause for being angry.
"It’s about preserving the memories of a man who gave his all for our freedom. "
Huh? Freedom from from?
I've not heard of him going to jail or standing in protest against the British. So, I guess the Author meant Hindus..
These BLA militants should be dealt with an iron hand. Media has projected them as freedom fighters so this crap media is equally responsible for this debacle. Now it should be crystal clear that who and what this BLA all about ? when ever security forces kill these butchers, journalist like Hamid Mir pops up in their support that ISI is killing innocent balochs. Hopefully all these missing person ends up missing from this world as well.
“When the heroes go off the stage, the clowns come on.” Heinrich Heine (Brainyquotes)
“Poets and heroes are of the same race, the latter do what the former conceive.” Alphonse de Lamartine, (Brainyquotes)
Beautiful and my heart continues to bleed. My continuing thanks to Allah Almighty for taking away my parents, so they would not see what has become of the country they fought for in undivided India. My Salams to my parents, our heroes (civil and military), and Pakistan.
Salam You are sorry for the buildning what u can rebuild. it but you are not sorry for 14000 Baloch who picked up by the pakistani inteligency. houndred of tousands bdesplaced Baloch from Dera Bughty. close to tousand recoved Baloch youths bodies. You are not sorry for the baloch losing own mother country what be occupied by the Pakistan and Iran. You are not sorry for the Pakistin looting the Baloch wealth. What can i say: just SHAME and shame and shame
@Talha Rizvi:
but then again I have seen Indians gloating over incidents that involve a loss of Human lives.
Yes.
For example after 9/11.
PS- Where did you read about loss of lives at Ziarat?
@ALL INDIAN TROLLS: Stop commenting on an issue so close to Pakistani's heart and get out of a Pakistani news website. Seriously if you hate Pakistan so much get out of our sights. If you had any shame you would not be rejoicing over this but then again I have seen Indians gloating over incidents that involve a loss of Human lives. ONLY MONSTERS REJOICE OVER OTHERS GRIEVE.
inaccessible area turns into ruin gradually
@Gul o Bulbul: We got Gandhi Garden in Karachi and u r well come to visit but after 2029. ac… . Gandhi Garden in Karachi is now called Karachi Zoo. It is unclear what this place's connection to Gandhi is.
@goldigger: Brother, Pakistan is built on the foundation of a fake and fraudulent History on which realms have already been written. So, burning down of that history is unlikely to bring any harm or good. A million people had to die in 1947 for no fault of theirs, history tells me a few million lives will have to be lost before human values are regained and Pakistan finds itself back on the right track.
@Gul o Bulbul: he doubts if pakistan would exist till that time :)
@Nadir:
"I am abit slow, but I would have thought that after 50,000 dead we would have realised that militants were against Jinnah’s Pakistan. Yet we want to negotiate with the militants, but annihilate the BLA for burning down a symbolic building."
It's perfectly understandable.
Those militants that killed 50,000 are fellow muslims who are fighting for Sharia in Pakistan.
BLA is an evil organization and is a puppet of RAW.
Wait a minute! Isn't TTP also sponsored by RAW?
"June 15, 2013 will be remembered forever. On this day, the beautiful building that adorns our hundred rupee note was burnt and destroyed by militants..."
What does this tell you?
That Pakistanis are shallow people with no sense of importance or priority. Which country puts the summer house of the founding father of the country? What does a summer house of a person signify? Does it represent the integrity of a country? Prosperity of a country? Rich heritage of a country? Intellectual strength of a country?
Nothing.
It simply represents the financial standing of an individual in a country of extreme poverty.
Dear Quaid we are sorry for what we have done to your Pakistan by handing it over to the worst terrorists of the world. We are sorry what we did with your sister when a dictator stole the elections against Mother of Nation. We are sorry that we have situated OBL in our army base and the worst terrorist havens in the world. We are soft on people who have killed tens of thousands of innocent Pakistanis. We are sorry that we disintegrated the country for dictatorship and the list goes on and on. This Op Ed is at least a decade late.
Dont worry author. Jinnah was much more sad and felt let down on his deathbed by the happenings in Pakistan in those days itself.
Quaid was imprisoned by the powers that be at that time - against his wishes in Ziarat. Why was he not treated in Karachi or sent to UK at that time. Why was Quaid sent to a far flung area which exist on currency and in people figments of imagination but no one even today knows how to get there. Poor fellow was left to rot there and that wasnt reflective in the well crafted imagery in the residency. It appeared that he was living there in luxury with no access to medicine, care, food or pleasant weather. The loss isnt a loss at all but history has been reset on the right course and i hope the new monument will be reflective of the agony of Quaid in his last days. Army's last figment of imagination in Baluchistan has been obliterated. But am sorry for the loss of life not the lifeless, fake ideological building.
@Abc. We got Gandhi Garden in Karachi and u r well come to visit but after 2029. ac...
After reading all the extreme comments about destruction of the residence in this paper I can only say will we ever learn. The moderates and educated are leaving Pakistan and for those that are left what were once considered extreme views is becoming the new norm. I just don't want to think what will be the norm 20 year from now.
One cannot even begin to imagine how sad this incident is; we are literally burning down our own history! On the other hand, the people of Balochistan and their sentiments towards the state are not good, what the army and federal governments have been doing to them for past 65 years, we are just the reapers of those acts, unfortunately, our little pieces of history are also part of this brunt.
Day is not far when Pakistanis will have to visit India to find the legacy of Jinnah. India has Jinnah House and the grand children of Jinnah.
Sadly a building can be rebuilt, but the dead and mutilated bodies of hundreds of young Baloch cannot be brought to back to life to their greiving mothers. While I deeply condemn this act of blatant vandalism of a national monument my sense of justices forces me to understand the rage that caused it. Unfortunately we find ourselves living in Zia's Pakistan and not Jinnah's. Intolerance and inhumanity is now widespread, and not just among us but in our state institutions as well.
I am abit slow, but I would have thought that after 50,000 dead we would have realised that militants were against Jinnah's Pakistan. Yet we want to negotiate with the militants, but annihilate the BLA for burning down a symbolic building.