The writer is a lawyer based in Lahore and studied law at Lincoln’s Inn and the London School of Economics. He tweets @AsadRahim
Back in the land Modi fondly calls ‘dushman mulk’, the average Pakistani may find Satan a cleaner candidate. Furious at the two neighbours sharing intelligence over Mumbai, Modi raged, “Gunah Pakistan ne kiya, hamla Pakistan ne kiya, log Hindustani maaray gaye, tabahi Hindustan ki hui, aur Pakistan Hindustan ko sawal bhejta hai?” As the crowd went wild, Modi screamed at Congress to stop “writing love letters” to Islamabad. This is, after all, a man who knows what the mob wants.
But after Pakistan’s horror over Modi’s rise and rise wore off, something else set in: redemption. Having long been lectured across the border that this was a stillborn state, it was the ultimate ‘I-told-you-so’ moment for many Pakistanis. Wasn’t Modi the very demon Pakistan was made to escape?
A country founded against the tyranny of the majority — foregoing geography, foregoing ethnicity and founded on a dream: the safety and security of India’s Muslims. There was, and is, a romance around the story of Pakistan that sets it apart from the others.
Today, that dream is dead. The ever-brave, ever-suffering Christian community lie bombed in prayer, mass-murdered in a house of worship. Their killers brought ball bearings with them, to murder children in church. The Land of the Pure continues to eat itself.
But these people are not of us. They are not stakeholders, they are not misled souls, they are not pawns in the greatest of Great Games. They are death cults. While the press argues over acronyms of the militant groups, the latter take pleasure in cutting up our women and children.
And the state is surrendering. It fights not when churches are blitzed with ball bearings, not when bombs rip through poor Hazaras, not when school buses in Quetta are torn apart in the air and not when Sufi shrines are burnt to the ground.
The opposition’s newborn saints were as bad: from Babar running them to Rehman Malik running from them, terror sent the PPP belly-up. Come election time, the Party tiptoed back to Sindh rather than campaign under threat … leaving the ANP to get pulped.
But the left is not the problem; the right is.
Only the right can win this war. Its mandate requires no APCs; its base is the very segment of people that require swaying. But the PML-N is busy evaluating all options, pending a further evaluation of its evaluation. The PTI wades in a sea of ‘we regrets’ and ‘we condemns’. To the right, it seems, sad songs win wars.
But mourning for three days is easy — fighting for 3,000 is not. Those asking what 10 years of fighting has achieved have a point: it will take 10 more. The centre takes comfort in the fact that it’s anyone but them, but the war will come to them; this sickness will spread to Lahore and Islamabad. Of four provinces, the writ of the state is over in three and a half … and Southern Punjab, sirs, is most of Punjab.
Some 1,400 years ago, a delegation from St Catherine’s monastery sought protection from the Prophet of God (pbuh). The Prophet’s (pbuh) resulting covenant with the Christians of Sinai was tear-inducing: “Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by God! I hold out against anything that displeases them … no one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses … no one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day.”
If those against the state of Pakistan are to be believed, that this war was about God all along, then perhaps, it’s time we follow suit, and obey the covenant. It’s time ‘the nation’ saves their churches and fights. God bless the Christian community.
God forgive the rest of us.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 26th, 2013.
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COMMENTS (39)
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The Diary of this wimpy Kid is getting better, Way to go, kiddo. Nicely done.
Pakistanis killing Pakistanis - and that merits paragraphs on India? There's something wrong with the psychology of this writer. Perhaps he can write a piece on the recent earthquake in Baluchistan and Modi's hand in it.
The intellectuals of today cannot do anything and cannot get anything done( armchair intellectuals) except indulging in noble ideas. And the people who are getting things done don't give a damn abt the intelelctuals. It seems the comon people( fools) are waiting for an angel from heavan( messiah) to come from their good!
Wrong. You have already lost and lost it completely.
But these people are not of us. They are not stakeholders, they are not misled souls, they are not pawns in the greatest of Great Games. They are death cults. While the press argues over acronyms of the militant groups, the latter take pleasure in cutting up our women and children.
And the state is surrendering. It fights not when churches are blitzed with ball bearings, not when bombs rip through poor Hazaras, not when school buses in Quetta are torn apart in the air and not when Sufi shrines are burnt to the ground.
And all this is Modi's fault? The demon that Pakistan was made to escape?
No Sir, all this is a 'Direct Result' of a tradition of 'Direct Action' which is in the DNA of Pakistan.
No wonder the Maulanas of CII are so opposed to DNA evidence.
And come to think of it a visionary , Abul Kalam Azad, condemned as 'Muslim Lord Haw Haw' by the founder of Pakistan, visualised this long long ago. Pakistan does not have the excuse of being caught unawares. It was forewarned of the consequences.
Just because author condemns christian killings doesnt mean he is 'for' ahmedi killings. So please. Also, modi was a relevant point to show that Pakistan was created to escape from religious discrimination, this was the vision, but that vision has been lost as Pakistan has failed to protect its citizens (muslims of all sects, christians, hindus). THAT was the point which all these riled up commentators fail to get. @author, excellent!
A good one. Sad to see all criticism on this excellent oped stem from Modi and nothing else. Unconstructive.
In all honesty Modi is a better version of Imran khan aka taliban khan. You elected yours, why cant we elect our imran khan.
Really?? when did that happen. Did you read any history book. It was rule of British for 200 years when pakistan seeked separation and before that it was tyranny of a foreign invading force in India. All in all, a minority was in rule for a long time even before british came to india.
Indian muslims are lot safer in india than non muslims in pakistan. Indian muslims have grown since independence while non muslims have declined in pakistan.
But i guess you are not concerned about the facts.
@hamza khan: Everything for u people is staged 9/11,26/11,Osama's death etc........Maulana Massod Azhar , Dawood Ibrahim etc which govt.facilitated there safety.....For your Information the maulvi is also in jail who led the mob that burned the train.......
Somehow, I have always got the feeling that this author has more pretension than talent
@Arindom:
Oh you mean, the 'staged' burning of the train which several reputable western press reporters have stated to be so. the author rightly chose the words 'over 700 bodies' as hindus themselves realize and know this is the reality. you can deny it and your fellow indians can deny it, but there was a massacre of people in gujrat, and while people may be in jail now, the state and then govt' stood by idly as it happened. whats happening in pakistan is wrong as well. no denying it. the difference of course is that while both sides have bad justice system, in pakistan the govt is not facilitating the massacre of its people as the government of gujrat, and by default of india did in gujrat. so there.
Wasn’t Modi the very demon Pakistan was made to escape?
May be, May be not.
But in my opinion the Butcher of Dhaka who killed 10,000 Pakistanis in one night seems to be a bigger demon as compared to Modi. And he was backed by his President who boasted, ' Kill 3 million of them and the rest will be eating out of our hands".
I am sure I need not tell you the identity or nationality of the person and forces concerned.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971Bangladeshgenocide
Compared to these guys Modi is a boy scout.
“Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens;
Well that was 1400 years ago.
And this was just last year
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2012/March/Mufti-All-Arabian-Peninsula-Churches-Must-Be-Destroyed/
Something tells me that Modi is not responsible for this.
@Siraj Mir: @Chulbul Pandey: Enough evidence has surfaced that Gujrat massacre of muslims was state sponsored activity, you should be ashamed of writing that comment. . Siraj ji, please read my comment again. I only stated that Modi has not been linked to the incident. As someone else already mentioned in his comment, the people responsible for it are behind bar.
As usual. My comment dumped.
One of the best articles I've read in a long time. Brilliant.
@Chulbul Pandey: Enough evidence has surfaced that Gujrat massacre of muslims was state sponsored activity, you should be ashamed of writing that comment.
That a young Pakistani like you is still seeking justification for the formation of Pakistan instead of focusing on what Pakistan needs to be doing underscores ambassador's Haqqani's description of pakistan suffering from fear psychosis. Watch the excellent talk given by Ambassador haqqani and Gen Stanley Mccristal - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE0x8KCcBfc (ambassador haqqani is talking about you).
This national state of mind compels you to demonize Modi and compels hamid mir to immediately decide that the current revelations by Gen vk singh is responsible for the peshawar attacks no less.
Although the author doesn't realize it, this column explains why Pakistan is where it is today. Truly amazing.
Any other comment if any Indian makes here will only diminish what this author is illustrating without being aware of it!
@Chulbul Pandey not again sir, please, everything on Tribune is NOT about India
If not, why has the author started his article bashing India and feeling glad that Pakistan was created for the safety of India's Muslims? What safety is he talking about? The safety that the Shia get when hundreds are bombed and murdered each year? The safety that the Ahmadis get when their places of worship are torn down by uniformed members of your state machinery? The safety that 1700 Muslims who were murdered in Karachi got last year? The safety that East Pakistan's Muslims got from the Pakistani army?
I understand the author's lament of killing of Christians in Pakistan. What I fail to comprehend is the ugly shoe-horning of the subject of Modi in the article!! I am not a Modi supporter - but I'd appreciate a more balanced writing when using inflammatory words like "700 muslims bodies". For starters, the initial burning alive of a compartment load of Hindu prilgrims would be good. Also mention of 250 more Hindus killed in the resultant riots is not out of place. Finally, the guilty are all in jail ( unlike in Pakistan, where those guilty of killing minorities are always heroes) and Modi has not been found guilty.
Some less hypocrisy please!!!
well written article. personally I dont agree about the need to bring in Gujrat with selective references and half baked truths but that obsession about India apart, hope it gives food for thought to esteemed readers here who are always finding some angle why an act like this is not as bad as it sounds.
It’s time ‘the nation’ saves their churches and fights. God bless the Christian community.
So what about other minorities ? Rest assure there are plenty of them , may be few in numbers but they do exist and are also entitle to the same ! Not that the Land of Pure can ever provide any form of security or safety to any of them ! This is already a failed Nation, with failed Policies and confused leaders, while its Army is simply way of its depth to deal with this form of urban terrorism, which incidentally they still class as their assets ! One can not see this Nation survive another decade in its current form !
As soon as this author mentioned Mr. Modi, at once I realized the value of this article, and indeed the level of intelligence of this gentleman. To me it appears that this article is only a "beating-about-the-bush" way of showing that what happened in Peshawar is somewhat less gruesome than what happened in Gujarat -- only because whereas the latter was done by an Indian citizen against his (i.e. the author's) coreligionists (whilst conveniently ignoring the scores of non-Muslims that were killed at the same time!), the former was done by his own Muslim compatriots! Bravo sir.... you rock!
Poignant and prophetic in parts. At this rate, Pakistan shall devour itself. The "liberal" intelligentsia and the right wing elite shall flee to more salubrious climes while the great unwashed shall finally have their wish. An Islamic emirate (more akin to an abattoir than the utopia that they imagine it to be). I sincerely hope that the powers that be wake up and behead the demon while they can.
Ro - cant blame chulbul as the author started off by ranting against India
@Ro:
not again sir, please, everything on Tribune is NOT about India
Really?
Did you read the First 3 paragraphs of this essay?
i love this author. doesnt waste a word.
@Author - since you dragged Modi into this - " “Gunah Pakistan ne kiya, hamla Pakistan ne kiya, log Hindustani maaray gaye, tabahi Hindustan ki hui, aur Pakistan Hindustan ko sawal bhejta hai?” " - what part of this is wrong? And as someone mentioned, the cause of the Gujarat riots and the aftermath in which both communities lost people; but dying Hindus are no concern to you? And how many 'riots' have occurred since the last Gujarat riots?
And your clear explanation for establishment of Pakistan : "A country founded against the tyranny of the majority — foregoing geography, foregoing ethnicity and founded on a dream: the safety and security of India’s Muslims." - as you can see the new country was created to cater to Muslims only; not the minorities. So the turn of events in your country is not surprising; and lots more is yet to come, as they start deciding who amongst you is a better Muslim. Oh wait, it's already started with the Shias getting the wrong end of the (dynamite) stick!
Beautiful scripted article.
Only one solution, give them a separate nation as you got yours.
@author: What a clever way to write about a very grim situation in your own country - start off bad mouthing India. I guess there is no point repeating the fact that Godhra tragedy was triggered when Hindu pilgrims were burnt alive by a minority of local Muslim people. . While mentioning 700 Muslim bodies, why is it that you conveniently forgot that over 250 Hindus were also killed in those riots? Do people from other faiths don't count? And then you want to appear as sympathetic towards Christian minority in Pakistan. It might be worth mentioning here that Modi has not been linked to the incident. . Your article only depicts what reigns in collective psyche of Pakistan today - Some sort of religion based superiority complex accompanied with blatant hypocrisy. . Sincerely.
@Author:
"God bless the Christian community."
"God forgive the rest of us."
Why don't I see such statements when Ahmedis are massacred in a similar fashion. I guess, they are not perhaps considered as human beings.