A story without an end

Another nightmare is re-enacted and another dream has failed the dreamer. The spirit of life is pale and the hearts are drained off their blood. The city presents a view of withered trees and branches where the birds of happiness no longer build their nests. Words are too poor and too scant to express the feelings of how these blasts and killings rip through our hearts. We live in such weather where the clouds of war are hovering over peace and the thunderbolts of death sear through the green trees of life. Here the dreams of a generation are painted with blood and the desire of youth is portrayed as a chalice of joy filled with tears. Poverty has carved maps of despair on the faces of women, men and children.

It was not the first but the deadliest week in the life of the people of this area when first the church compound and two days later, a bus carrying government employees was bombed on the edge of Peshawar. In all, over 100 lives were lost in the two attacks. Later, at least 42 people, including 17 from the same family, were killed and 91 wounded when a massive car bomb tore through the crowded Qissa Khwani Bazaar. How can we end this story when, in fact, it has no ending? Every day, we stand before the coffins of the dead in silence and see the angelic faces mudded with dust.

We are often blamed for ignorance and bigotry, but when ignorance saps the blood of our emotions and reason, all those who blame, watch us suffering, doing nothing more than offer a few words of condemnation. If our people are not fed with the food of enlightenment and education, the forces of ignorance will always ignite rebellion in their hearts. Once rebellion is sown in the hearts of the youth, it takes hundreds of years to harvest the crop because once a mind is ignited by an idea, it never returns to its previous state.

Now the question is what is the responsibility of the state? We know that the responsibility is to protect the life, honour and property of each citizen irrespective of their colour, caste and creed. If the government doesn’t fulfill its responsibility, the citizens will rebel. This infinite injustice, these horrible scenes and their deadening impact are killing the patriotic spirit. Our leaders repeatedly say that the culprits will be brought to justice but how and when, nobody knows.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th, 2013.