There seems to be a total disconnect between those fighting the war for us and the revellers. Is it only their war?
ISLAMABAD: The last letter by a young Shaheed, Captain Khalid Iftikhar, written on April 12, 2014, was addressed not to his parents or wife, but to his country. It should be an eye opener for us. Amongst many relevant points, he says when people attack the army on talk shows or while sitting comfortably in their air-conditioned drawing rooms, they should remember that young jawans of the army are under attack at that very moment.
Our country is essentially at war and war is no laughing matter. But from the look of things we do not look like a nation which is fighting for physical, economic and ideological survival. Eid, marking the end of a very difficult Ramazan in sizzling heat, was eagerly awaited by many. The government, aware of the ugly mood of the masses due to load-shedding and price hike, decided to pacify them by announcing, not the usual three but five days of holidays. The clever ones, and there were many of them, decided to link it with both weekends and ended up with 10 days’ holiday!
With so many holidays and hot weather, an unprecedented number of people headed for the mountains. The fact that our nation is proudly multiplying like rabbits, there was total disorder on the already inadequate roads. The media gleefully covered the mayhem, the traffic jams, the young men dancing happily wherever they were stuck. The spectacle would have been amusing. Here were people making the most of an uncomfortable situation. Young people need to give vent to their feelings.
On the other side there are other young men laying down their lives for the nation, spending an unimaginably difficult Ramazan, not celebrating Eid with their loved ones because they are deployed on borders. We seem to have forgotten the IDPs, displaced for the sake of the nation, spending Eid away from their homes, under very strenuous circumstances.
The government ceased to function for a prolonged period; all offices were closed, all economic activity shelved, as we celebrated an extended Eid break.
Can we afford such luxuries? Have we earned it by any means?
The prime minister and his family embarked on a long trip to Saudi Arabia. Granted seeking redemption for personal sins is the wish of all individuals, but a ruler whose nation is fighting a war of survival with enemies within and without, would have invoked more blessings if seen beside his troops and with people who were under the open sky due to the order of his government. A true leader endears himself to his nation in the hour of need by rising above self and embracing the sorrows, fears and problems of his people. A true leader sets a personal example to others to follow.
There seems to be a total disconnect between those fighting the war for us and the revellers. Is it only their war? Are we supporting them at all, in our prayers, our thoughts and our actions?
Don’t they deserve more heartfelt emotions from a callous nation like ours?
We are on the streets for Gaza but we forget the widening ethnic divide and our shameful treatment of minorities. Our cries will have no thunder when our actions towards our own people are so cruel.
It is time to remove this disconnect in our nation. Ours is a nation that has shown tremendous solidarity and camaraderie in several proud moments of our chequered history. They need inspiration from those at the helm of affairs and from the civil society. The media needs to show the human touch in this war, it needs to highlight the supreme sacrifices of these gallant men so as to mould us into a homogenous force that can turn the tide.
Shaheed Captain Khalid was inspired by his grandfather to cherish independence and his last wish was that his child should carry the legacy forward.
Nighat Kamal Aziz
Published in The Express Tribune, August 10th, 2014.
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