By Bilal Firoz
We currently as a nation posses all of them.
There were a lot of people in that crowd who could have stopped this monstrosity from happening and I have to say there were a select few that tried to (I had to go through the horrid task of watching that video again) but were denied this opportunity by none other than the vagabonds in green and khaki-the so called guardians of citizens. They guarded citizens alright, but just the branch of citizens that have devolved into apes. After all the police forces of our country have been trained to do that(protect the government).
Through this spectacle, they have shown their “seniors” how courageously they perform their jobs. After all, I guess, even butchers have some sort of compassion and regret for the animals they slaughter and I am sure every person who had the displeasure of watching that video burst into a myriad of tears, so thus we have to salute these valiant men..who didn’t budge an inch from their posts, did not turn there faces from the display of barbarism, did not shed a single tear and even formed a protective circle around the apes to stop the few humans from interfering in a glorious display of modern day Pakistaniat.
Iqbal’s Pakistani was ‘Mard-e-Momin’, one who stands up for the weak, who defends honor, justice and equality and thrashes oppression in the face.. As I saw that carnage unfold in front of my eyes on TV, the scene from the movie ‘Jinnah’ played in my mind, the scene where the Quaid himself leaves what he was doing to fend off British Soldiers with his BARE hands, even though they were so many and he was one, without any weapons but with a heart of gold. These British soldiers were beating up human beings, poorer ones, with sticks, just as the barbarians today were and these soldiers were soldiers of an Imperialist army, who could execute without legal consent and would not have to answer to anyone. The Quaid instead of turning a blind eye to their oppression, ignoring their powers to execute, stepped forward when none else did. A man of character and a true example of Iqbal’s Mard-e-Momin, his passion for justice was SO great that he ended up gifting us sovereignty and dignity. However, today’s Pakistani has split into two kinds , one kind that still maintains these qualities but this club only occupies an island against the masses of the other kind, masses that have degenerated into the “andha” , “ghoonga” and “behra” Pakistani, one that only thinks of him/herself, obsessed with his/her ego and power!
There are no words left short of swear words to describe those that filmed and/or participated in this atrocity, even the bystanders get a big swear word from me. Actually the bystanders deserve the biggest barrage of swear words, as it was their responsibility as humans and as Pakistanis to stop this violence. Yet they stood still, like nothing ever happened. So even if they were criminals? Do you forget how the Prophet (SAW) treated his Prisoners Of War? Men who were responsible for the deaths of so many of his loved ones?
Such nations, have appeared before us …and you know why they are not here today? Because Allah has wiped them out. We have indeed placed ourselves on the same path.
Now, we set out to answer the fundamental question of why it happened. What is wrong with our society?
Let’s explore a few points.
Iqbal wrote a whole book on “khudi” or the self. Guess what – khudi is achieved when you get rid of your ego.There are two types of ego; one that arises from self acceptance and self confidence (the good kind) and the other that arises from thinking you are better than others and being obnoxiously proud of traits that are the least bit desirable to everyone else(the bad kind). Notice the absence of the word “self” in the latter, it speaks in direct opposition to Iqbal’s words. I hate myself for inking these words but almost all of Pakistanis today are in possession of the latter. This had lead us into becoming the disaster-piece that we are today. This ego is born with you when you are born and instead of taming this inner voice to realize that needs come before wants, that others come before yourself, the Pakistani
is told that he may use all resources to bring him/herself to the top of the food chain to supply this ego. A very animalistic feature indeed.
This trend of guarding one’s ego in Pakistan, putting it before food, water and air is the biggest crime one as a human being and as a citizen of a welfare state can commit. As citizens of a welfare state, you are not first, those around you are! This guardianship leads us to the second point. The concept of “izzat” in Pakistan. Sure, respect exists and you have every right to be respected by others. Ones actions however will determine the amount of respect he/she gets from society. Have good actions and your community will automatically respect you, you cannot force or expect people to respect you. In Pakistan, we are taught or lead to believe that the only way to gain respect in your society is to silence those that don’t give you this birthright.
It is this danda culture that is considered sacred in our society. First of all, real men, if do end up in a tussle which has no way out of it other than physical combat, always fight one on one. Secondly, the fight always has rules, but here, its a matter of how many guns you have, how many “banday” you can get, if you have direct links with the “S.H.O” or the “S.S.P” and how many heads you’ve turned into fountains of blood. In high end private “educational institutions”, schools populated by our so called “elite” class, we witness this series of events take place everyday. Parents instead of resolving these incidents peacefully, add fuel to the fire and pump their sons with more backup that aids in more bloodshed. The whole process dissolves into weeks and weeks of tension for everyone and at the end of the day – the triumphant one is heralded by his community and his friends and family as a hero.
Call me biased after this, so I will say, go down the hierarchical chain of Pakistani Society and you will witness this trend from the richest to the poorest of Pakistanis. This all arises with guardianship and growth of the ego and not focusing on Iqbal’s words to develop the self.
Why is ego the problem?
GO look at the modern world. There , people with differing opinions , sit in the SAME parliament, share the SAME government, live in the SAME houses and are given the SAME rights. There is a world of difference between a democrat and a republican, a white supremacist and a black rights activist, an American redneck and an American Muslim. Yet, they all live in the same country and all have equal rights. Do you think it doesn’t take slaughtering of the ego of a democrat to share the same floor with a republican and to listen to his/her insulting remarks in congress? Do you think harboring powerful egos would have allowed these democracies to function or allow them to implement the ideals that we crave to posses today? Do you know what happened in a Sindh Parliament when this woman member lashed out at a male member? He took off his belt and beat her up while the whole crowd and “Honorable” speaker watched. What a glorious display of chivalry and what a marvelous display of manhood. I would like to show this kind Sir and all our leadership, a picture of the Danish Prime Minister, who was pelted with tomatoes by his citizens, after he disagreed with removing Danish troops from Iraq. My, if he had an ego like this “lawmaker” of ours, all those poor danish people would be dead.
There are so many promoters of this culture of hate and violence filled in the country, from the student union thugs(leaders) to a lawyer mob beating up policemen, to citizens committing the Sialkot incident.
This culture is in part promoted by our media, which has glorified mob justice at many, many instances.
People of Pakistan. You have been presented a mirror image of your inner self through this incident. It is your ego inside that beats up the two brothers of humanity and compassion EVERYDAY. Your ego, that allows you to harm your fellow citizens. Your ego, that disallows you to leave the comfort of your homes to help with the Flood Relief efforts. Your ego that will turn you into a narcissist ,and help you ignore these words and turn a blind eye to this oppression and to self evaluation of yourself.
I do advise you to go out on the streets and protest this brutality, but I also request you all to pick up Allama Iqbal’s Book and discover who you truly are. Allama had foresight. That book was NOT needed then but rather is needed today.
For once people, stop your country from getting destroyed, our ancestors worked too hard to make it a reality, YOU CANNOT ABANDON IT …I REPEAT DO NOT ABANDON IT…No matter what color your passport is, your blood will always be green.
Pakistan Zindabad.
:’(
Written by Bilal Firoz
