Obama is not the only hypocrite
We must care about other injustices just as much as high-profile deaths. All life should be of equal worth.
A few weeks ago, there was a great outrage when the killing of school children in the US state of Connecticut, USA was compared to the tragic deaths of children killed in drone attacks in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. An article in the Guardian succinctly described the gloom felt all over Pakistan as children lose their lives as collateral damage.
All criticism was regarded impassively by US diplomats who are rumoured to have ignored similar sentiments expressed by the NYU-Stanford report on drones.
If our fury is directed towards the unfair attention and outrage felt for the loss of some lives, and sheer ignorance towards other killings, we must take a moment to reflect on the unfairness of this.
Having worked long enough for the Peshawar city pages of The Express Tribune, it is safe to say that at least three to four stories are filed daily about people being murdered because of ‘petty arguments’ in the province.
These stories pour in from just a couple of districts in the entire province, and that too from families of victims who are brave enough to lodge FIRs with the police.
If we feel sympathy for one particular killing incident, we must remember that dozens more, lives are lost exactly the same way. Most of them are just remembered through a mere 30-word brief, probably alongside a news story about a motorcycle theft.
It’s not that we should not care about high-profile deaths, but we must care about other injustices just as much. All life should be of equal worth.
We are quick to criticise US President Barack Obama’s speech after the Connecticut incident, and say that it is ironic that his sympathy isn’t directed towards children killed through drone strikes in Pakistan.
But then, aren’t we perpetuating the same ‘irony’? Aren’t we being unfair too? We must stop and think.
All criticism was regarded impassively by US diplomats who are rumoured to have ignored similar sentiments expressed by the NYU-Stanford report on drones.
If our fury is directed towards the unfair attention and outrage felt for the loss of some lives, and sheer ignorance towards other killings, we must take a moment to reflect on the unfairness of this.
Having worked long enough for the Peshawar city pages of The Express Tribune, it is safe to say that at least three to four stories are filed daily about people being murdered because of ‘petty arguments’ in the province.
These stories pour in from just a couple of districts in the entire province, and that too from families of victims who are brave enough to lodge FIRs with the police.
If we feel sympathy for one particular killing incident, we must remember that dozens more, lives are lost exactly the same way. Most of them are just remembered through a mere 30-word brief, probably alongside a news story about a motorcycle theft.
It’s not that we should not care about high-profile deaths, but we must care about other injustices just as much. All life should be of equal worth.
We are quick to criticise US President Barack Obama’s speech after the Connecticut incident, and say that it is ironic that his sympathy isn’t directed towards children killed through drone strikes in Pakistan.
But then, aren’t we perpetuating the same ‘irony’? Aren’t we being unfair too? We must stop and think.