The writer is a partner at Bhandari, Naqvi & Riaz and an advocate of the Supreme Court. He can be reached on Twitter @laalshah
The massacre at Newtown set off a firestorm in the US, with most of the anguish and the anger aimed at America’s notoriously lax gun laws. President Barack Obama announced at the funeral of the victims that he would be pushing for legislative changes to prevent future massacres. And The New Yorker spoke for many when it asked, “What does it take for a society to be sickened by its own behaviour and to change its attitudes?”
By the end of the week, The New Yorker had its answer: the vice-president of the National Rifle Association responded defiantly that the answer to massacres like Newtown was to have more guns not less, because “only a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun.” And pundits had already started scaling back their earlier optimistic predictions that American society would now support limits on guns.
The Newtown massacre and its aftermath are instructive because they show that Pakistan’s pathological society is not unique in its pathology. As I write these words, the newspapers lying crumpled around me all carry banner headlines announcing the demise of Bashir Ahmed Bilour in a suicide attack. Page after page praises his bravery; page after page laments our inability to unite in anger against his killers. Which again begs the question: what will it take to wake us up? What does it take for a society to be sickened by its own behaviour and to change its attitudes?
The honest answer is that I don’t have the faintest clue. About a month ago, a remote controlled bomb was recovered from under the car of famed journalist Hamid Mir. The recovery of the bomb had been preceded by news reports stating that the TTP had decided to strike against journalists like Mr Mir who had condemned the attack on Malala Yousufzai. And after the fortuitous recovery of the bomb, the TTP expressly accepted responsibility, saying that it had wanted to kill Mr Mir because of his criticism of the TTP and its tactics.
Mr Mir’s response to his brush with death was instructive. On the day the TTP took responsibility, he began his show with an oddly defensive monologue in which he denied being an enemy of Islam and hinted broadly that even if the TTP were actually the ones who had carried out the attack, they were only tools being used by others upset by Mr Mir’s efforts in favour of an independent judiciary and the Muslim world.
As I watched Mr Mir’s show and waited for the defiant condemnation of the TTP that never came, I imagined a scene as surreal as the one unfolding in front of me.
Somewhere on a psychiatrist’s couch, a TTP spokesman is holding forth. “Doc, what do we gotta do to be taken seriously? We killed BB; they blamed Musharraf. We shot Malala; they blamed the US. We beheaded an SHO in Peshawar and I thought people would compare us to Grendel; we didn’t even make the front pages! We attacked the Peshawar airport and people worried about tattoos. We killed polio workers and even a Harvard-educated lady senator thought it could have been a conspiracy. I swear the next time this happens, I’m gonna set someone on fire outside the Islamabad Press Club! Maybe that way we’ll finally get some respect.” And then the psychiatrist leans forward and murmurs “Have you considered changing your PR agency? I have a brother who’s got lots of great experience, knows all the right people …”
Back here in the real world, I am still bemused by our national confusion. I was, for example, stunned to learn that the late Bashir Bilour was the brother of Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, our railway minister. Why was I stunned? Because three months ago, Bilour the senior called the Taliban his ‘brothers’ and offered to pay a US$100,000 bounty for whoever would kill the idiot responsible for the blasphemous anti-Islam video. Note, by this time, Bashir Bilour had already survived at least two assassination attempts by the TTP. So, Haji Sahib was referring to his brother’s murderers as his brethren.
Really, how complicated is this? There are people trying to kill us. They have repeatedly announced that they would like to destroy our Constitution, kill the educated ones and subjugate the rest. Since 2007, they have killed more than 3,000 Pakistani soldiers and more than 20,000 civilians. Our options are either to fight back or be killed. But it looks like we would rather be victims.
All I can say then is to count me out of the list of idiots. Despite my Shia heritage, I have no interest in being a martyr. My sentiments instead are those of General George S Patton: “No poor bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making other bastards die for their country.”
Let me add one thing more. These are days whose history is being written in blood. There will come a time though when the blood will stop flowing. And then there will be an accounting. The people of this country will look back and ask why their leaders were so quiet for so long.
That moment of accountability may or may not be in the lifetime of those currently in charge. But even if it happens after those currently in power have passed on, our people will be justified in digging up the bones of their current leaders and hanging them as traitors to this country. The people will have their revenge. And it will not be pretty.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2012.
COMMENTS (56)
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Yes, world is waiting an appropriate time so that the surgery required to treate the disease can be done with less possible loss of life and property and yeiled a desired result .
@Observer: How would you change it?... Thanks for raising very valid point.My short answer is,no one but constitution itself.and that only after great bloodshed which is seen writen on wall.From the ashes of this constitution will emerge a secular constitution.I know I can not change it but I can still raise voice of my conscience.At least next generation will not curse me for my silance.Those who join now will definetly escape divine as well as public curse.
@sabi:
"Let us start with a demand to change constitution that is bleeding Pakistan.Would you?."
How would you change it? To make it a secular and egalitarian constitution where everyone is equal? That is not possible unless you want to remove the Objectives Resolution and all aspects that require Pakistan to strictly follow Islam.
Who do you think is going demand the removal of all links to religion in the constitution? Impossible! Once you ride the tiger, you can't get off unless you want the tiger to eat you alive.
@gp65: You are right people did speak up about the Babri Mosque, by electing those who destroyed it as the new government! They are still speaking about the Gujrat riots by re-electing Modi who was hand-in-glove with the killers of Muslims. Still haven't got your facts straight have you? So much for your research and knowledge seromns!
@Feisal Naqvi: "I would also say that it is more important now to concentrate on fighting back" Let us start with a demand to change constitution that is bleeding Pakistan.Would you?.
@Candid 1: People DID speak up about Babri and also about Gujarat riots . Not just speak but many rioters were also convicted. This is why India has not had any communal riots in the last 10 years.
@Author: Agree 100% that one cannot change the past but one can change the future. How you choose to fight Pakistan will determine how effective you will be. If you just try to kill members of TTP, it will not be as successful as if you choose to fight the Taliban mindset. The Taliban mindset derives from hating 'others' that one considers are not Muslim and then expanded to those that are not the right kind of Muslims - be it girls that go to 'Western schools) or polio workers or women who go to market unescorted like Meena bazaar or people who pray at mazaars or participate in Moharram processions are all targets.
Thus without tackling this curriculum of hatred spread through schol textbooks, Friday sermons and also popular talk shows, the Taliban mindset will not go away. This is where I was coming from
even in this situation NRA is not ready on banning the gun... pitty what kind og human being they are?
It will take much more killing and damage to Sunni Muslims before the average Pakistani questions the methods and goals of the radical Islamists. Your culture has been wrecked by decades of extremist indoctrination, which combines hatred and intolerance of all others with a self righteous, neo-imperialist hunger to grab power and spread the true faith, by any means necessary. Nothing is off limits, and no act is too terrible if it hastens the arrival of the ideal Islamist society. Hence there are no rules, no minority rights, no common humanity, only the thirst for power and despicable acts to attain it. The majority of Pakistanis, so indoctrinated, have and will continue to nod approvingly when the death is dished out to the hated other, and retreat to conspiracy theories to blame the hated other when the deaths come knocking at their own doors. The sensible minority is scared and shrinking. No hope for Pakistan for at least 50 years, and quite a real possibility that it will be destroyed before then, either by its own hand or by a world that will no longer tolerate the evil emanating from it.
Thank you all for the comments and the compliments. As for the point about not speaking up about the Ahmedis, I have tried to write about minority rights earlier as well but yes, I concede that I could have written more. I would also say that it is more important now to concentrate on fighting back rather getting stuck in the question of what one could have done earlier.
Cheers,
FHN
I know times are tough for pakistanis. Pakistanis themselves dont seem to be capable of solving this mess that their "elites" created. I strongly recommend making pakistan a colony of China (western Xinjiang perhaps?). Pakistan needs a decade if not more of non-religious environment to sort out this mess. China knows how to deal with religious+terrorism mess.
@wonderer: Please don't preach facts from the pulpit of ignorance! Based on the presumptive gobbledygook you have written, it would appear that you should be the one doing some objective research (if you even know what that is).
@Uza Syed:
Cheers!
You are a very brave man, Sir. Will you please let me also know who those "sons of *itches" are so that I can follow you? My thanks in advance.
Absolutely right and I'm with you Feisal Naqvi, as good citizens and good believing brave Pakistanis we should NOT be prepared to die for our country, we must be resolved and determined and systemetically go after our enemies, with whatever nmaes and indentity they go, and those sons of *itches die for their cause and send them to their favourite destinations.
Mr. Naqvi As you mentioned in your article as well, I dont know, where the courage got eroded to ?, Day after day, our in-ability to understand situation at present getting us further deep into abyss, we are unable to act thats some what understandable, but its hard to digest that we are unable to understand the threat, and that too, mounting its pressure, on us, every passing moment. Hats off, and great article.
@Candid 1:
You are a terrible Pakistani, bringing bad name to the land-of-the-pure. You should know your facts before you start asking such leaded questions.
You are imagining things; others use knowledge and thought. Your knowledge is stuffed into you; their knowledge is searched and found.
@ Observer, you 'r right, despite similarity, religion is formidable difference between Sri lanka and Pakistan.Since inception we injected in our national nerves germs of Ideal Muslim State and lived in utopian world with belief great days of past will revive soon. To kill reasoning for good, blasphemy laws were enforced and doors of reasoning were closed with dreaded might of state and bearded beasts. None amongst the residents of Swat has so far told the dreadful days of Taliban rule when true Islamic values were in practice. Even we are not prepared to learn any lesson from the experiments of Swat, Afghanistan and North Waziristan; likewise cannot dare to reason with history if such ideal state indeed ever exited? All we can do is to hopelessly wait for dawn of rationality to be replaced to ghost of Ideal Muslim state.
@gp65: If that's the principle, then why are you silent about your country's occupation of Kashmir, the support your country gave to terrorists in East Pakistan for years before the Pakistani army was deployed there, the killing of Christians, the killing of Muslims, the destruction of Babri Mosque, etc. People living in glass houses shouldn't be throwing stones.
I am pained by this write-up because the security forces are fighting an invisible enemy. The Taliban are lie low in the day and move around at night. So the soldiers deployed in North Waziristan are mostly on duty at night. TTP structures are more diffuse than Tamil Tigers and eliminating the top leader may not be a definite way of controlling them. With time the methods of dealing with them are getting better. I do not know what kind of action the author has in mind that would bring a clear victory. TTP is an insurgency imbued with martyrdom. The situation is comparable to insurgencies in India. It is a long haul struggle. Over-dramatizing as by the author is of no use.
If every one becomes a Suny will the bloodshed stop. No. So the solution lies with the present civil and military leadership.Please act before a whole civilation is scarred , traumatised and then lost forever.For TTP will come for you sooner than later . Mr Naqvi, hats off to you for showing a Mirror to our Society. May God protect you. rk
Shia Muslims have been under attack in Pakistan since 1963, when the Thehri incident took place on Ashura, in which over 100 were martyred. Feisal was not even born then.
For the record, he has written on discrimination against Christians, Hindus and Ahmadis as well.
Even this article is about the attack on Bilour, a non-Shia, not about attacks on Shia Muslims.
It is interesting that Feisal, a descendant of Imam Husain (a.s) subscribes to the philosophy of Patton and not that of his forefather.
The fear of TTP will fade on the day TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan calling from undisclosed location to accept responsibility is exposed by the govt machinery & the media whom TTP is calling ( even if it means bringing in law to expose such elements in media to expose the calling number to trace it )....till then TTP fear shall remain hovering over us....
@Saeed:
For the most part your comparison of the Sri Lanka case with Pakistan has some validity. However, the main difference is that in the SL issue, religion was never the motivating force as is the case in Pakistan. With over 80% of Pakistanis strongly in favor of a fully Islamic state, it gives the Pakistani Islamists, who are motivated by religious fervor, are much more difficult to defeat.
@Mirza: "It is not surprising that the killers of ZAB, BB, Taseer, Bugti, Bhatti and Balour would never be punished". The so-called seculars put the foundation of fascist constitution.Didn't they?they had enough oppurtunities but the prefferd kursi over delivering absolute justice.But I have absolutly no doubt in my mind that master minds of all attrocities will not escape punishment,not for the people you have mentioned above,but for this poor ignorant volk which is denied the basic rights,i.e access to truth.This is a nation which can not absorb truth and that is something very serious.Everybody in the power game had his/her share of decieving the public,more or less.Let us not be emotional and let us see the events of history on merit. Cheers.
@Kanwal: You make some good points and as I pointed ot in an earlier statement I commend the writer about what he is saying and agree with this OpEd 100% But when I talk about being silent on Ahmadis, I am not referring to 1974. Those laws are still on statute those people are still being oppressed but the author does not speak on those isues. Same thing with Hindus a 100 year old temple which existed before Pakistan came into existence is razed to ground citing encroachment despite court stay order, another temple vandalized, Hindu girls being forcibly converted. These are things occurring today not in 1950 or when the author was a baby but author stays silent about that as well. @Afaaq : I had responded to earlier but somehow was filtered. I will try again: The reason people support Taliban is because of religious affiliation. The reason Taliban were brought into existence was also to fight godless Russians and kafir Hindus. Thus religion based hatred is the root cause of Talibanisation of society and while this was occurring people were silent and now the genie is out of bottle. I hope you now see the relevance of the point I was making. @Feroz: Your post is exceptional. You rock.
Salute at your admission that You wanabe like General George S Patton. What is painful none of our right wingers including leadership of Jamat Islami, Jamat Dawa, Ex Gen. Hamid Gul, Zaid Hamid, Hafiz saeed etc admit the same. They have collected enough in their ranks to die for their noble cause but none of them is prepared to scarify their own sons for this great end. As far general public is concerned they will remained confused as we have in galore General George S Patton amongst us even in media.
Well said Faisal. You are one of the few real Mujahids against these thugs & murderers. They have hijacked our religion and everyone is watching like ZOMBIES.
The criminal silence of Scholars, leaders and media anchors is the root cause of this menace. They will be held responsible by our next generation and in hereafter.
It is Christmas, and I had no idea it would bring for me the Cheer I have been eagerly waiting for. We have, at long last, started taking "killing" seriously, as the learned author informs us.
I shall now eagerly wait for the next Christmas. We may start taking some "action" against 'killing" if we are lucky. Amen!
@Afaaq: Its the mindset @gp65 means - if you are either indifferent to what he talked about OR unable to make those changes,opposing TTP doesn't make sense because its inconsistent
@gp65 its a pity it took the shias long long time to respond properly. but i am sure you can not disagree at all that the worst loss of life in this county has been faced by the majority: the sunnis. What really does bother me though is exactly what is the cause of this silence? i have a feeling we are drunk on religion and can not figure out good from bad anymore. the majority at least. as for your comment's tone, pls remember that the sociopolitical scenarios in and around pakistan and the age of internet has changed so much more. the time when ahmaid and hindu persecution and haunting of christians began, the public was not so aware and never on time for a a timely response any way. Now, its different. So lets not keep gloating over the past. Shias of this country have shown a huge potential for potent and non-violent street power in the last few years. why not join forces instead of confronting young writers for things dodne when they were not even born?
@Feroz, Well said...
@Saleem sounds like a typical "bright" Pakistani. //We are supposed to be an atomic power , lets use it to eliminate taliban >>>>completely// Yes, genius. Use all 100-120 of them. Wipe out the whole country. Make a fresh start. Best of luck:)
In Pakistan the deep state and the rightwing have all the guns and the secular popularly elected the victims. There is a jihad going on against all those who are in the way of Talibanistan. That is why all the secular leaders and non Whabis are eliminated each day. Those who do not stand in the way of Talibanistan are living large with no fear and dreaming of taking over in the next elections. The day a fanatic Gen Zia hanged the first elected PM of Pakistan he proved beyond doubt who is the ral power and nobody can stand in their way. It is not surprising that the killers of ZAB, BB, Taseer, Bugti, Bhatti and Balour would never be punished.
Very depressing situation. Power is in the hands of MASTERS who do not even bother for their 2nd tier leadership, what to talk of Common man/citizens. . Merit, Vision or talent is not the criteria to be RULER, its just power of wealth n money. Two most richest persons own two private limited parties and employ/hire agents all over the country. Comparatively less rich ppl own smaller parties with less powerful agents. Politics of South Asia is now like a corporate business. And it cud be witnessed nowadays coz every party is changing/hiring new agents for better sales i.e. votes. . And we call this system (Money-Powered-Corporate) Democracy !!!
Pakistan needs a ‘Sri Lanka' solution. The low/high level war waged by Tamil terrorists was finally over when Sri Lankans decided to kill the top leadership and destroyed their sanctuaries...For 30 years Tamil tigers terrorized the country while pretending to be fighting for greater Tamil rights. during that time, they ravaged the country with suicide bombs and executions of innocents.
For 30 years, Sri Lankans were like Pakistanis are today, they were paralyzed and believed in 'magic' that somehow if they could put their heads in sands, tigers and their many supporters would just go away and they could live happily ever after..... Remember it took them 30 years to finally have the courage to stand up against killers. Today, Sri Lanka is back on the world map...commerce, cricket, tourism is back and life is thriving again.
All we have to ask a simple question...how much time do we have and how many lives we can feed to monster?
@gp65: My argument here is not similar to if you speak about Malala why do you not speak about drones which are separate issue. Here it is bullying of weaker by the stronger where people from the stronger community fail to speak up until they themselves become the target. I did not say but that is also what happened to Ahmadis who were silent during anti-Hindu riots. So I am glad the author spoke now but when you speak only when you are yourself impacted, the weight of the argument is not as strong as if you had spoken when someone else was impacted.
The article clearly highlights the problems we face in terms with dealing with the taliban in context with an event which took place in the west. Comparing the Ahmedi, anti-Hindu element doesnt really make much sense.
The people in confusion you are talking about are still in the denial phase of grief. Those of us who accept reality, no matter how despairing it is, are at the last. Things will not change until the majority finally realizes that the Taliban are the worst stain on the religion of Islam, though they are from among us.
Great article probing some troubling aspects of a nation's psyche. While I agree with the overall message of the article, I have some differing views on some of his statements.
The second amendment of the US constitution protects gun ownership, In Pakistan's constitution, Islam is enshrined as the founding principle of the state of Pakistan.
Thus while the American constitution can be amended to redefine, eliminate or refine aspects of the constitution especially the one on gun ownership, it is impossible to change Pakistani constitution on areas that pertain to Islam, blasphemy laws being an example.
While the author is correct in quoting the rigid position of the gun lobby in the US, it would be wrong to conclude that the NRA, while a politically powerful organization, represents the majority view of the American public. Yes, it would be difficult to change the provisions of the US constitution, but it has been done before. Thank the good lord that amending the US constitution does not have to butt heads against will of God as would be the case with Pakistan. Surely, this time there will be some changes in the gun laws in the short term and more pervasive changes in the long term.
A majority of people in the country feel Pakistan was created by Muslims for Muslims. The Constitution decides who is Muslim and who is not and same is for minorities. When a Constitution discriminates between citizens on the basis of some affiliation, as seen today only trouble results. Constitutional lawyers and experts across the world after one glance at the current one will advise its total scrapping because it violates the spirit of equality, a prime requisite for any document that is supposed to hold the country together. Ambiguities create loopholes which the clever will exploit. When faith and destiny of a nation have a book as its foundation rather than universal human values or welfare of the people, interpretations and divisions will create monumental fissures. There are very powerful forces that have the country by its throat. None of these forces can be called remotely religious in any spiritual sense. They are the Power brokers of Religion and are will feed on human weaknesses and emotion to further their own ends. The people are very confused and will continue to be preyed on. Those who want to impose themselves and their views on the masses have the propaganda machine and the Guns on their side. They can never be beaten without taking away the umbrella that protects them.
Ah Feisal H. Naqvi, you even look like Lincoln!
"These are days whose history is being written in blood. There will come a time though when the blood will stop flowing. And then there will be an accounting. The people of this country will look back and ask why their leaders were so quiet for so long".
Well said, and true. Time will clear the fog, but too much will be lost by then.
Loved it , I too don't know how many more and who else TTP have to kill before we can say with unity that maybe now we do know who our enemy is , in American elections even till the last minute there are undecided voters even when the choice is so clear and I thought they were dumb but now I'm sure we r the dumbest people on earth for still being so confused about who our enemy is.
We are supposed to be an atomic power , lets use it to eliminate taliban >>>>completely
@Afaaq: "Because probably the writer was in his diapers when the 1974 war took place. Instead of appreciating the fine effort by the writer some are criticizing him for not writing about other issues?" I did not suggest that the author should have spoken IN 1974. The law still stands on the book does it not and the writer has been writing for many years now has he not? HAs he spoken against those laws? Thus it is not a past issue that is dead and buried (pun intended), it is an ongoing current issue.
My argument here is not similar to if you speak about Malala why do you not speak about drones which are separate issue. Here it is bullying of weaker by the stronger where people from the stronger community fail to speak up until they themselves become the target. I did not say but that is also what happened to Ahmadis who were silent during anti-Hindu riots. So I am glad the author spoke now but when you speak only when you are yourself impacted, the weight of the argument is not as strong as if you had spoken when someone else was impacted.
In writing what I did, I also want to bring it to the attention of people who may currently not be a target that they too could be targets in the future and their silence today could reduce their credibility in the future, so it is time they spoke up now.
Denial and the victim hood narrative have taken over us. Its much easier to blame someone else than to take responsibility.
@gp65: "Why were you were silent about massacres in East Pakistan and absence of action on Hamoodur Rahman report? About laws against Ahmadis on the books since 1974?" May be there were no ET then and Author too young to say his opinion.But I do acknowldge your point.There are many, silent yet, may be waitnig for their turn, which they think will never come.How wrong they are.Destiney is written on wall.Aaj hamari kal tumhari bari hae.
Because probably the writer was in his diapers when the 1974 war took place. Instead of appreciating the fine effort by the writer some are criticizing him for not writing about other issues? So just let me get this straight. In order to point out todays problems a person needs to first point out all the immoral ills taken place before hand? Why start from 1974 then? Why no go back a few centuries or the beginning of time? Instead of crying over spilt milk we should rather focus on what the cat is cooking in the oven.
I like the write up and pity on GP65's mentality for his narrow-minded comment. This write up is drawing attention towards general killings of innocents and unauthentic claims of TTP every time. Why is gp65 taking it the writer's sect? At least he (writer) is drawing attention towards the current bloodshed of Pakistanis when plp like gp65 are silent spectators.
Hard hitting and it's difficult to fault what you have said. Neither the people nor the country has been the top priority of our leaders. The people seem to have resigned themselves to this fact, taking comfort in the the feeling that somehow God will help them and this myth is subtly encouraged by our leaders while they go about their business.
what is this? No criticism/mocking of Imran Khan? no passing mention either? is it because this time he has condemned TTP 'by name'? Or have you gotten over your imran-o-phobia? . . Perhaps if you and others like you abusing/mocking Imran Khan would have spent half the time in taking to task those responsible for the mess in this country rather than hounding Imran and PTI...we wouldnt be in such a problem. . . Now go ahead and dismiss my opinion and call me a PTI jiyala
What a gut-wrenching article written straight from the soul! One can only hope that there are more of your tribe.
"These are days whose history is being written in blood. There will come a time though when the blood will stop flowing. And then there will be an accounting. The people of this country will look back and ask why their leaders were so quiet for so long."
Cannot disagree with anything in your OpEd. But have a question for you. Why were you were silent about massacres in East Pakistan and absence of action on Hamoodur Rahman report? About laws against Ahmadis on the books since 1974? About the fact that Hindus and Sikhs are consistently and persistently being, killed, forcibly converted or driven out from the land of the pure as the census bears testimony. You have only started speaking now that your specific group is under attack. The others you are hoping will speak up are silent for the same reason now that you were silent earlier.