LAHORE: This is with reference to Kamal Siddiqi’s article of January 14 “Silence of the wolves”. The repulsive silence of the local, provincial and federal political executive, bureaucracy, intelligence and security apparatus, in the face of the slaughter of hundreds of innocent citizens, reminds us of wolves, which have just devoured a herd of sheep and then chosen to leave till the next slaughter. Having been driven against the wall, where enduring further pain was just not possible, the Hazara community was forced to stage a protest that should have shaken the corridors of power, but sadly, it took over 60 hours before the state machinery moved into action. Why did the state wait so long and drive its citizens to such desperation?
We are reaping the harvest of an engineered political discord along ethnic, sectarian and linguistic divides sown by military dictators like General Ziaul Haq, followed by General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, to thwart a united political struggle against their illegitimate takeovers. As if this was not enough, they mid-wifed NROs of known corrupt men to bring democracy into disrepute. For over four decades, with the exception of a few individuals, Pakistan’s destiny and policies have been in the hands of vested interests, with mediocre men without any vision or sense of history at the helm of affairs. It is time the people of Pakistan stand up to protect the country from the dangers within it.
Malik Tariq Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, January 18th, 2013.
