Give up extremism, gentlemen, and let this country breathe

It is curious that those threatening Malala for months before shooting, were not in sights of highfalutin’ ‘agencies’?

As this country plumbs ever newer depths of the crap-hole, it becomes clearer to Pakistanis that those that hold it by the throat were always wrong; that they were not merely deluded, they were dishonest because they wanted a bigger share of the measly national pie; that they simply have not learnt any lessons at all, and cannot be stopped being above all accountability. (Are you listening, My Lords?).

That, critically, they have not given up the extremist plank that they have used to fuel their intervention in the country’s security and foreign policies. Ergo, Malala Yousufzai, the brave little girl who demanded an education and the right to speak out against injustice for herself and other little girls of Swat and Pakistan, was set upon by beasts in a targeted manner as she drove to school in a van, and shot in the head and neck. Two of her friends and teacher were also wounded. Now then, while we shall talk about the mindset of the murderers later, it is said that the ISI/MI with which Swat is said to be infested have equipment that can find switched-off under-surveillance mobile phones from the signals that the devices send out. It is curious, then, that those that had threatened Malala for months before the shooting, to desist from her little-girl activism were not in the sights of these highfalutin’ ‘agencies’? How is it that these brutes did their evil deed and no one had any inkling about it?

But let’s for a moment go to the perpetrators. I tweeted yesterday asking if the monster who pointed his gun at Malala’s little head and fired, was not born of a mother? Did he not have a heart beating in his chest? Did he not have sisters; aunts; a grandmother; a wife or four; a sister-in-law? Some woman in his family so that he would have some pity for a little girl he was about to shoot?

The answer was not long in coming: these are brain-washed, illiterate idiots who Imran Khan calls ‘ideologues’, and who he will separate from the tribal people who will then cleanse the tribal areas (and Swat, I suppose) of them. Little does the great man realise that the tribal leadership is dead and gone: slaughtered by these same ‘ideologues’ and their foreign handlers and paymasters. All that are left in the tribal areas are these killers and terrorists and their terrified hostages.

Indeed, if the tribes that promised the PTI safe-conduct had real leadership, would the peace march have turned back from Tank? As an aside, an old friend who is from Fata says that the worst human material possible is recruited into the Taliban: number one son to the police or army or Scouts; two to the Frontier Constabulary; three to the Levies/Khasadars, and the idiot boy to the Taliban.

Let’s go elsewhere. Who should be supervising the ‘premium agencies’ that we have spoken about if not our Rommels and Guderians? But do they have the time, going about merrily doing what they have always done, for one carving out new and ever newer housing colonies for their senior ranks on premium government lands in cantonments across the country, the newest one behind Rahat Bakery in Lahore, between Sarwar and Tufail Roads?

For the information of those who do not know, lands in the cantonments belong to the provincial and federal governments; NOT to the Services. These lands were LEASED to the Services in the year dot for use as cantonments, and would revert to these governments when no longer needed. But there they go, doing as they please while their extremely well-sprung and feared agencies are spat upon by the terrorists, and innocents like Malala are targeted.

Well, they will do as they please for they are above all the laws except those forced upon them by a brave judiciary in the Supreme Court and the Peshawar High Court, where there is a move afoot to quickly elevate Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan to the Supreme Court so he will stop asking hard questions about the disappeared who then appear in tortured/dead/starved/gravely ill form (thank you, Cyril). May I as a concerned citizen humbly request My Lord Iftikhar Chaudhry to kindly let Justice Khan continue in Peshawar until he disposes of the cases he has courageously taken up? I am sure this will have My Lord Khan’s approval.

And now for some good news, and both from my own city of Lahore where the new DCO, Noorul Amin Mengal, has done some excellent work. Fancying myself a bit of a cook it was great to read that he is arranging a cooking competition for girls’ colleges during the Lahore Food Festival scheduled for the end of November. Why only girls, though, this contest should be thrown open to all colleges — surely some boys cook too, probably better than girls!

The other good step is that the facades of some landmark buildings such as the Shahdin; Ghulam Rasool, and Dinga Singh buildings on The Mall (oh, all right, Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam) are to be renovated and signboards along the road will be of uniform and standard format. This is great, for cities worth the name: Florence, Rome, Paris, Brussels, London simply do not allow the vandalism that goes on in this country or in India. You can do what you like on the inside of it, the facade simply cannot be touched. And the signboards cannot be of any form or colour.

We must mention that Mengal is a Baloch picked up for the most prestigious post of DCO of Punjab’s largest city for the reason that he is a good officer. Speaks volumes for the CM, for which, well done Shahbaz Sharif. The other good news is my first sight of The Mall in Lahore in Malik Riaz’s building in the cantonment. Say what you will about him, the man runs a good ship.

May the Almighty give Malala a long life despite the brutal terrorists threats to kill her if she survives this brutal attack. I immediately advise Hijrat for her and her family to a welcoming country, which will be the richer for it. We simply don’t deserve her. Shame on us.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2012.