The Verdict
180 million hearts broken... again

180 million hearts broken... again

Will we be remembered by images of empty cradles, unworn shoes and the sounds of soothing lullaby heard by no one?

Shehzad Ghias December 16, 2014

Jallianwala. Dhaka. Quetta. North Waziristan. Peshawar. Places change but stories remain the same. That doesn’t make the heartbreak any more bearable. The unanswerable ‘why’ still looms over our heads.

Why this?

Why now?

Why us?

Today’s massacre in Peshawar reverberates throughout the country. I cannot even fathom what the parents of the children are going through but I write to tell them they are not alone, it is the least I can do.

It is the least I can do to at least try to reach a level of catharsis which will make me feel capable of ever feeling again, which will make me feel a shred of humanity, any sense that this remains a world I want to continue living in. A world shared by death and the bringers of death.

Do these people not have children of their own?

Maybe they had them once.

The sight of a baby’s clothes charred black hurt just as much, no matter what country, creed or religion the baby belongs to. I am sorry we brought you into a world of such terror; you deserved better. Maybe God agreed, which is why He took you away from us so soon. You deserved better.

We are a country of martyrs, we create them and we become them; the cycle of violence never stops. We celebrate the dead, we celebrate the murderers. Our celebration of unbridled joy at the top of the Ferris wheel pushes it into motion; soon we find ourselves at the bottom watching others celebrate the same. We do not get off the Ferris wheel; we simply look to get back on top.

We are told that we stand at a sensitive junction – the crossroads of time yet we see nothing at the turn. There is more darkness beyond darkness. There is no sun outside our Platonian cave; are we destined to always merely see the shadows?

Generation after generation inheriting a war till the point that nobody even remembers why we are fighting; we are bound to remember but we are also bound to forget. Peshawar will be a mere statistic in the years to come in the growing lists of massacres in the country. The families will remain forever affected, the population will move on. Oblivious how hypocritical any cries of ‘bomb their families’ are.

Faiz Ahmad Faiz asked how many rains it will take to wash the stains of blood in 1971, 43 years later we are still looking to wash the stains with more blood. Wondering why they are not going away. Will we never see the patch of green promised to millions? This is not what Pakistan was meant to be. We decry the broken promises, the shattered dreams but we fail to ask who hijacked them? Whose wars have we been engaged in for over 60 years? Why are we still fighting them?

All questions lead to more whys we might never know. We will die and the next generation will ask the same questions. There will be another Zarb-e-Azb, there will be another Peshawar. 180 million hearts will break again. A population will cry out again,

“Why?”

All we are left to do is to shed more tears, lose more children – the innocent always suffer the most. Our gardens continue to turn barren yet we continue to scorch more land.

The sound of a mother’s cry is louder than a bomb. Will we be remembered by images of the empty cradles, the unworn shoes and the sounds of soothing lullaby heard by no one?

An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind but where does a child for a child leave the world? How many children will die before we realise that too many have died?

To adapt a quote by Friedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemoller said during World War II,

“First they came for the Hindus, I was not a Hindu so I said nothing... then they came for the Bengalis, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Begali... then they came for the Ahmadis, I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t an Ahmadi... then they came for the Hazaras, I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t Hazara... When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out.”

There are no words I have to express my sadness at what happened in Peshawar. I cannot even console myself let alone somebody else. All that comes to mind are words of Faiz Ahmad Faiz,

“Aaj kay naam aur aaj kay gham kay naam,

Aaj kay naam kay hai zindagi ki bhaarien gulistan se khafa,

Zard patton ka ban

Zard patton ka ban jo mera desh hai

Dard ki anjuman jo mera desh hai

Un dukhi maon kay naam”

(A toast for today and a toast for today’s grief,

A toast for today for the spring of life is displeased from its garden,

Yellow leaves in autumn,

Yellow leaves in autumn that is my nation,

Unbearable pain that is my nation

A toast to those sorrowful mothers)

WRITTEN BY:
Shehzad Ghias A graduate from the LUMS Law School and is running his own theatre production company, Cogito Productions.He works as a theatre teacher at various schools. He tweets @Shehzad89 (https://twitter.com/Shehzad89)

The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

More by this writer

COMMENTS (66)

Sridhar Kaushik | 9 years ago | Reply Pakistanis are consumed with hatred of India and Indians and see a conspiracy in everything. This hatred is only consuming them and they are not even aware!

liberal-lubna-fromLahore | 9 years ago | Reply how is interviewing his parents an evidence? On the other hand, Indian parliament leaders claimed themselves it was an inside job. Who do you want to believe? Depends on if you are looking for the truth. i guess people who give into the brainwashing by mainstream media really turn out to be very stubborn

Prashant | 9 years ago "how is interviewing his parents an evidence? On the other hand, Indian parliament leaders claimed themselves it was an inside job." So Kasab is not a Pakistani? Lubna has just proven her liberal credentials. You want to fight extremists at home while condoning the same acts across the border, it may satisfy your hatred of those whom you consider "others" but it would not let you address the issue in a million years but then hatred does not let you see the truth, so good luck and get well soon.

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

Roon | 9 years ago | Reply Also: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/25/pakistan-air-strikes-haqqani-network-afghanistan

Roon | 9 years ago | Reply "proper Counter Insurgency operation" Why are the pundits out of Kashmir as well as many refugees from IOK in Pak then? It's the same case with Zarbeab no? "Carpet Bombing" Read below, Pakistan uses precise strikes and then sends in troops just like the US in Afghanistan. They are doing everything by the book. ""The army hasn't announced the killing or capture of a major militant leader or Haqqani member." This is old news. Heard of the capture of Malala's attackers yet or the fact that over a 1000 militants have been killed or that 30000 troops are taking part in the operation? http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/15/pakistan-offensive-militants-north-waziristan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Zarb-e-Azb There is suspicion in the West but it will be cleared when the operation is finally finished

Sana Sohail | 9 years ago | Reply Ek Aam Admi Ka Show-Subha Savery Samaa kay sath (SAHIR LODHI) Sahir Lodhi presented morning show transmissions from the place where every eye is in tears. The show covered heart breaking national tragedy “Attack on a School at Peshawar” the darkest hour of Pakistan history in which we lost our Future. While interviewing families of Martyrs, Sahir himself broke into tears. Unendingly we mourn our precious treasure Too early yet this earthly home they left, Perfidious sleep confounded nature's order To leave their loves perpetually bereft. Those golden dreams and aspirations, The seeds of yesterday a withered bloom, Those baubles which are cause to celebrate In death now mock us gently from their tombs. How treacherous death does steal on youth's exuberance, To wreak such havoc from the ecstasy of life, Where once was only joy and future promise Tormented hearts endure eternal strife. Real stories, real pain of a common man! Little ones went to school in the morning and from there travelled to a much better place…Ah! Sahir said our heart bleeds at the loss but we stand brave and untied to fight against fear and those who are spreading terror. Words can not give comfort to the crying eyes and we look upto Allah for justice and find guidance in our religion to bear the pain.. "I heard the Prophet peace be upon him saying that the children are the da`amees (small fish) of Paradise. Each of them will meet his father or his parents and take him by his cloth- or by his hand- and never stop until Allah permits both of them into Paradise" (Muslim) "If a child passes away, Allah says to His Angels, 'Did you take the soul of My servant's child?' And the Angels would say, 'Yes'. Thereupon Allah would say to them, 'Did you take away the apple of his/her heart?' 'Yes,' the angels would reply. Then Allah asks them, 'And what did my servant say?' And the Angels would say: 'He/she has thanked You and committed all his/her affairs to You.' Then Allah would say: 'Then build a house in Paradise for My servant and name it the "House of Thankfulness." (At-Tirmidhi) And for the animals who did this to them, we hope that Allah has a special place for these animals too - the worst part of hell.

Roon | 9 years ago | Reply "Pakistan IS attacking its own citizens." Technically speaking Hakimullah Mehsud was a Pak citizen and many Islamic terrorists were and are US/UK citizens but they are not innocent. About drone strikes read my above comment. Indian army is also responsible for the death of many innocent Kashmiris.

Anoop | 9 years ago I never said India is not responsible for the death of many innocent Kashmiris. I only merely suggested India did a proper Counter Insurgency operation and took control of areas with minimal collateral damage(which will be on the higher side) There is no COIN operation where the locals were totally unharmed. Show me one. But, Carpet Bombing is not even an operation. Here is WSJ for you. http://www.wsj.com/articles/militants-slip-away-before-pakistan-offensive-1405637710 "Both leaders and foot soldiers of the Haqqanis, an affiliate of the Afghan Taliban that has been based in Pakistan's North Waziristan for decades, left the area just as the operation began on June 15, said locals and militants." "Many Haqqani members left to other parts of Pakistan through the northern part of the area, via the town of Thal, locals said, while others went across the border to Afghanistan." So, basically who are left are ordinary people and their homes which are being destroyed. I am not saying NO Militant is killed, but that most important militants have run away to other parts of Pakistan and will come back when things cool down, which is what insurgents do - Hit and Run. Pakistan is bombing Ghost towns. Even if the IDPs return, many will not even have houses to live in. "The army hasn't announced the killing or capture of a major militant leader or Haqqani member." "Much of the civilian population fled because of the offensive, with many militants believed to have slipped out with them" Who are you kidding? Not me, not WSJ, not NY Times, not any major Think Tank watching Pakistan. You are only kidding yourself.

Roon | 9 years ago | Reply I didn't invite you to read the link, that is about drone strikes which are largely irrelevant now that Pak itself is taking action. I was pointing to the comment section debate. Do you even read my comments?

Anoop | 9 years ago "I didn't invite you to read the link" LOL, but I did. Didn't it prove my point so perfectly? Pakistan is taking action? Drones never led to IDPs. They were more effective. Pakistan should have requested US to increase Drone strikes OR sent in troops to take the area, not carpet bomb poor villagers. Here is WSJ, saying how Militants slipped away. http://www.wsj.com/articles/militants-slip-away-before-pakistan-offensive-1405637710 "But residents said many militants escaped North Waziristan before the start of the operation, which the Pakistani media had for months widely reported was imminent, as peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban foundered." I am not alone in saying this.. Do know Christine Fair? She says so too.. If you don't know her, she is pretty popular in Pakistan at one point because she had suggested India might be encouraging rebels in Balochistan. http://warontherocks.com/2014/07/the-pakistan-armys-foray-into-north-waziristan-get-used-to-disappointment/ "While Pakistan seems to finally be acting, don’t expect this operation to yield any big catches. The army, as it did in 2010, gave plenty of warning. Any terrorist worth his Chinese knock-off Air Jordans has long fled the scenes. Key members of the Haqqani Network have long been ensconced in Rawalpindi and Islamabad." About the unverifiable claims of your Army: "Of course the Pakistan army, as always, is completely unrestrained in its ability to manufacture facts about this operation, as none of their claims can be independently verified. So what can one actually believe?" "It is doubtful that this operation will have a significant impact, given the long advance warning the terrorists were given. Nonetheless, the army will capture some weapons caches, shut down some land mine factories that have terrorized Pakistan and Afghanistan alike, and “discover” now-notorious tunnels that Islamist militants love to construct in the tribal areas. " "..it’s difficult to not conclude that many innocent Pashtuns will die, lose their property, and remain in camps for internally displaced persons so that the Pakistan army can—once again—fool its citizenry and the international community all the while continuing to play the double game that it plays so well. " The whole world is watching and as Fair says, no Terrorist worth his salt will be in an area after such long warning. I can't believe you are trying to argue that this operation is going to be successful. Successful in doing what? Destroying houses of ordinary Pashtuns? Do you have any humanity?

Roon | 9 years ago | Reply My point was to read our convo in the comments where I have proven with links that Zarb-e-Azb is harming the terrorists. The Taliban has admitted this saying that the Peshawar attack was in retaliation for the heavy losses inflicted on them. Only Anoop denies this saying that the operation is a "sham" and "will not kill a single terrorist" and that it is "killing only innocent civilians". "difference between TTP and Pakistan Army in this case" As said before, shameful!

Anoop | 9 years ago "My point was to read our convo in the comments where I have proven with links that Zarb-e-Azb is harming the terrorists." Read your own link, buddy. The BBC link you shared says: "He admitted that much of the militant leadership had left the area before the operation began" "will not kill a single terrorist" You are intentionally misquoting me. I didn't say no Terrorist will be killed. I am saying this operation is useless and most militants have escaped. This is what the link YOU gave also says. Please read your own link.. :)

Roon | 9 years ago "difference between TTP and Pakistan Army in this case" You are acting like a Taliban apologist. this is shameful, I meant to say

نائلہ | 9 years ago | Reply I have read Indians thanking their gods for this, saying: "don't worry, 130 less terrorists".

Milind A | 9 years ago Well what you said is true to some extent. This was written in a moment of pique... However after the impact of the situation (kids killed) settled in, humanity overrode petty mindedness. Here in my town, every other person is shell-shocked and is bad mouthing the Talibans. Schools have observed 2 min silence for the deceased as everybody was able to identify with your pain.

liberal-lubna-fromLahore | 9 years ago | Reply ET, please publish my comments, okay? Im not gonna type everything all over again.

kumar | 9 years ago | Reply Nicely written Friend , your blog mesmerize , Its too painful and accurate, God bless you for writing truth so fearlessly." Islam for peace" , should be objective of Pakistan and muslim countries. Let them all unite . May God give you peace and good life.

liberal-lubna-fromLahore | 9 years ago | Reply i know everyone sentiments r high and yes taliban r to blame here but was taliban really ever the problem? By the way, I hate taliban I hope they rot in hell im not taking their side in anyway and I know taliban are a real threat and I 100% support zarb-e-azab. But the reason I say this is because my beliefs r built on the basis that 9/11 was an inside job and there no "terrorists" involved in that. It was a propaganda to get into Middle East and have wars with Iraq/Afghanistan and the all other countries that r now involved with ISIS and this whole mess and not to mention, Pakistan being the worst victim of this whole war on terror. A war initiated by US policymakers and now we have been dumped in this mess to deal with. Why people r forgetting this? Look at how western media is now connecting Malala to this situation. All I read is, Malala condemns, education rights, school bombed etc.I see now why Malala was picked by the West as perfect propaganda tool by the West and its surely coming in handy for them. It's like US is now trying to shift the blame from themselves for this mess to blame it on "taliban not wanting education" and hence, war on terror justified. Now, of course, this was done by the 'taliban' but the damage has been done already. theres no need for another propanda tool like malala, theres no need for another drone strike, theres no need for another raymond davis. It was never our war but this has been made our war due to post 9/11 war on terror, a war based on complete lies. And it sickens me how liberal fascists fail to see the past and always blaming religion and not seeing how we have come to this day and age. It has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with politics. Now dont lecture me on im a taliban sympathizer. In case u think that, go back to the first paragraph of my comment.

siesmann | 9 years ago So "really Taliban was never a problem" well now you know where the fault lies-within yourself;lost over 70,000 people to these brutes with a perverted ideology,and you still don't want to blame them.Well keep them,and be happy -your ridiculous comments about 9/11 and Malala are a clue as to your sympathies.For you TTP,ISIS etc are heroes

Iftikhar Ali | 9 years ago realities don't change according to our beliefs, 12 out of 20 attackers who did 9/11 were from the holy land of Saudi Arabia, But Saudis, in order to safe guard their motherland, exported all those Extremist to Afghannistan Pakistan, Iraq Syria Yemen Somalia, Kenya and many mores And we have owned them and protected them and now listeninng to the musix God bless US

Iftikhar Ali | 9 years ago | Reply Stop waiting for Miracles to happen, start doing your job, by this we can have some mercy by nature.

Anaya | 9 years ago | Reply Even then it doesn't seem to be. Does it? read your stuff again!

wb | 9 years ago If it doesn't, then it's good.

Haroon | 9 years ago | Reply All rhetoric and no substance derived from your irrational hatred of Pakistan and its leaders.

wb | 9 years ago Actually, that was the whole point.

Roon | 9 years ago | Reply "Pakistan attacking its own citizens," still peddling your previous lies eh? I wont repeat myself: http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/24608/drones-pakistans-worst-kept-secret/ Since you have so much free time Read our entire conversation again.

Anoop | 9 years ago Pakistan IS attacking its own citizens. If India had carpet bombed entire villages in Kashmir, you would have termed it Genocide. Since, the perpetrator is not India, but your beloved Army, your point of view has changed. The link YOU provided says: "The US narrative was backed by memos and documents obtained from Pakistan and CIA, according to which more than 60 attacks between 2007 and 2011 were carried out with mutual consent of Pakistan...In essence, it means that of the 2,379 people who have been killed during drone strikes only 704 have been identified of which 322 are reportedly civilians (99 children), and 295 are alleged militants. " 99 Children killed by Pakistan approved Drone strikes, says your link. So, Pakistan has killed an equal numer of children that TTP did 2 days ago. How is it not responsible for these innocent deaths again? How is it different from TTP? You have a habit of proving my points for me, don't you.

نائلہ | 9 years ago It's become his takiya- kalaam, pretty much an obsession.

wb | 9 years ago | Reply Would you also like to name JuD and Hafeez Saeed or you consider him a hero?

Maximus Decimus Meridius | 9 years ago http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/25273/humanity-dies-as-peshawar-bleeds/#comment-1744898872 This is my comment on the other blog.

wb | 9 years ago | Reply "This is not what Pakistan was meant to be." I don't understand when people say such things. This is not Qaid's Pakistan, this is not why Pakistan was created. And this is where I find it hard to argue with Pakistanis. If you add Garam Masala to Mutton, expect to get mutton curry. And please don't tell this was supposed to give me coffee, because that was my vision, that was my dream, that was my intention, that was my hope, that's what I prayed Allah for, that was my dua, this is what I worked for, this is what I sacrificed my life for. Then this means you have no vision and your intentions and your actions don't match. Jinnah was a man of absolutely no vision. He planted milkweed in 1940 in Lahore and told all Muslims that you will be eating Mangoes out of this. Did Jinnah honestly expect mango from milkweed or did he just lie? I don't know. But the fault line is in 1940 and not in 2014.

pakistani | 9 years ago oh so you are the one who keeps Quaids picture as your fb dp on Dec 25, but are all ready to curse him

Grace | 9 years ago If I were your type of person I would remember your comments to throw back at you whenever some tragedy takes place in India. The British gave you Indians freedom and you should be thankful. That's enough for now.

Rashid Iqbal | 9 years ago Our Jawans will go out and strike the terrorist hideouts. But this massacre will be forgotten in a few months and we will back to usual because we lack the intellectual honesty for self-analysis. We will not change our constitution. We will still burn alive people for blasphemy. We will still call ahmadiyyas non-muslims. Our school text books will still teach hate and lies. Pakistan will still go against the basic teachings of Islam.

Critical | 9 years ago | Reply Well Pakistanis are trending ‪#‎StopIndianTerrorismInPak‬ in response to our‪#‎IndiawithPakistan‬ .... .Looks like even a national tragedy cannot make few people see the truth and resort to namecalling as usual

liberal-lubna-fromLahore | 9 years ago critical? from what angle? So they lit a few candles and cancelled some elite dinner parties and what, you suppose we should overlook their massacres of innocents in Kashmir, their frequent ceasefire breaches which killed children in Sialkot and their self claimed inside job Bombay terror attack which they ruthlessly blamed on Pakistan without evidence but liberal facists like were very eager to believe Pakistan was behind the attack? You want us to overlook all that and become besties for life now because you cant seem to let go of your bollywood channels while India still has restrictions on airing Pakistani content on their tv channels? do you liberal fascists ever even stand by your country instead of always resorting to bashing Pakistan? just because u see something infront of you doesnt mean u dont have to blindly follow it. This is just an innocent trend with empathetic people and that's all it is. But telling Pakistan to not to be skeptical of India and thinking of them as the enemy just because of this trend started by good people from both countries thats probably gonna end is 2 days is being very politically correct. I wish Pakistan intelligence was more transparent with the people. I wish we knew about the real progress of this operation. I wish there is credible access to statistics as to how many taliban are really out there and real history of their origins. But until then, I am not singling out the possibility that India is involved one in some way of causing international attacks in my beloved country.

Balban | 9 years ago You only look where you want to, Pakistanis are also part of this #tag. Meanwhile you also have your own people who refuse to see the truth: http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-30502337

Anoop | 9 years ago | Reply The Terrorists are a symptom of a larger problem - Radical Islam. The moment people, the liberal, non-violent ones, accept the bad in a Religion, as well as they accept the good, things will change for the better. If oft-repeated phrases like "This is not Islam", its a "Religion of peace" or "These are not Muslims" are still trotted about, then these things will continue to happen. 2014 was a sad year, an year where the Islamists won. In Nigeria, 200 girls were taken as slaves, Iraq and Syria fell to these hardliners. Taliban on the rise in Afghanistan. Pakistan attacking its own citizens, than conducting counter terror operations in FATA. Attack in Sydney. In Boston. There is not a single Continent on Earth, which hasn't seen violent Islamism this year. No other Religion, even those bigger and slightly smaller than Islam has had such negative influence over the world. This is also the year, the oft repeated phrases have sounded more and more hollow with each passing month.

Parvez | 9 years ago | Reply Just as the words of Martin Niemoller hold true, the Biblical words ' As you sow, so shall you reap '......are harsh but also very true.

Introspect | 9 years ago | Reply Muslims of south asia need to inspect what is going on..Whenever something wrong happens..they say terrorist cannot be muslim..Its not written in the book..they are doing wrong interpretation of book.....As an educated man reading enough on internet about religion..I can say..every religion has its positive and negatives but...this is 21st century..here God helps those who helps themselves and i.e. what pakistanis and islamic people need to understand..pakistan must leave kashmir and afghanistan and concentrate on its own home first..because kashmir and afghanistan are going nowhere..they will remain with their respective holders...but for pakistan future may be tough.. Allah usi ke saath hota hain jiske paas imaan hota hain...

wb | 9 years ago If you are a Muslim and you have said, "every religion has its positive and negatives" Bravo! Islam is perfect is the reason for many evils that Muslims suffer.

vinsin | 9 years ago | Reply The two big problems that happened at the time of Pakistan creation that led to this situation: 1) Muslims who voted for and created Pakistan never moved to Pakistan but stayed in India. On the top Liaquat Nehru pact negates the two nation theory and partition act. That created anti pakistan movement among many Indian Muslims. 2) Jinnah decision to attack Kashmir even though Pakistan got 25% share of land as promised by Mountbatten and all lands demanded by Jinnah. Nehru and Gandhi mishandling of Kashmir and sentiments of Pakistani. Sardar Patel proposal for Kashmir was Bangladesh. And Pakistan army handing foreign affairs and converting Pakistan into a security state rather that welfare state for subcontinent muslims.

Maximus Decimus Meridius | 9 years ago | Reply well done. It is high time the general population realizes that the real cancer eating away our country is extremism. TTP, ISIS and all other terror outfits are just by products of the extremism which is taught in a plethora of mosques like the Lal Masjid. To save the country we need to root out extremism and terrorism will die out by itself.

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ

180 million hearts broken... again

More by this writer

FOLLOW US