Complacent we must not be

As I gawk at the nauseating images of blood covered victims of a recent suicide attack flashing on the television screen, I am struck with a realisation: Pakistan is in a state of war. Barricades, checkpoints and clusters of uniformed men are now dominating the streets, evoking a memory of how at one point it was hard to imagine living within a politically tumultuous region like Iraq or Palestine where similar security arrangements exist. The impact of the grotesque visuals playing perpetually on our television sets is diminishing with the passage of time, as we plunge deeper into the political malaise plaguing our country.

The frequency of these heinous acts has escalated to the point that one is almost indifferent to them. This insight dawned upon me when in a flustered state I rang up a friend of mine whose office was situated close to the scene of a terrorist attack on a mosque in Lahore. In a fleeting moment she said: ‘‘Yes, I heard the firing, but well, life must go on.’’ Although a part of me marveled at her resilience, I also sensed a degree of resignation in her words, which was perturbing.

I feel that when people become immune to the problems surrounding them, their pursuit for change crumbles. Rather than being sucked into a vicious cycle of slowly becoming tolerant to the toxicity of terrorism, we need to stand firm to reject this poison that is polluting the land of the pure. It is incumbent upon us to raise our voice against the injustices which surround us as a substantive change in any country’s system emanates from the civil society. In other words, we the people, have to become the force of change. A shining example is the lawyers’ movement which managed to overthrow a dictatorial regime after almost a decade of military rule. Complacency can prove to be the biggest vice and a source of great regret.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2010.