ET: ‘Pakistan’s 9/11’, ‘Never again’, ‘united we stand’ and similar expressions of resolve and the severity of the situation post-APS, Peshawar were all natural, and perhaps justified in that moment of grief, and above all, horror. The All Parties Conference, the National Action Plan, the moving to tear tribute songs; it was ‘the’ moment. Except, it wasn’t. We perhaps, have spent all our outrage post-APS, Peshawar. Shikarpur happened weeks later, and the Media could not cover it because of the hysterics and silly frolics of two of our National leaders were keeping us busy. Sixty people died in Shikarpur. They were Shia. Peshawar has happened again, it is murder again this time, and those dead are Shia. It is a pity that they had to die just before the World Cup; nobody has the time for remorse, grief or horror. The Nation is bleeding green, while the Shias simply bleed.
Language gives much away. Many on the Media were conflicted between using ‘Shaheed’ (Martyr) and ‘Jaan Bahaq’ (dead) for those who died in the imambargah in Peshawar. Bewildered, they ask, why were namazis killed? Who can do such a heinous act? One would have thought them to be hopelessly naive, if one didn’t know better. Let us still break it down for them: they were killed because they were Shia, by extremists who believe themselves to be devout Muslims and further believe that the Shias are ‘kafir’ (infidels) and ‘wajibul qatl’ (liable to be murdered). Elevated talk of proxy wars, ‘sectarian violence’ and global politics does not obscure the fact that there are people, seemingly reasonable and formally educated, who believe that Shias are infidels and practice unsavoury rituals and are part of some secret conspiracy; you and I know these people and have heard many of them on national television and read them in mainstream Urdu papers.
Categories: Anti Islam act by Muslims, Asia, Behaviour, Double Standard, Pakistan