Pakistan welcomes New Year by going hundreds of years back to medievalism. The murder of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer is the latest and perhaps the clearest manifestation of the reverse journey that Pakistan has embarked on. Even more worrisome was how the large section of our so-called urban educated middle class received the news without any semblance of sympathy for the slain Governor. They seemed to condone the murder and elevate the murderer to the status of a brave hero who has secured for himself a place in the heaven. Tuesday’s tragic incident and the ensuing debate about the propriety of the murder underlines the gravity of the situation which, if left unchecked even further, can soon bring us all to a point of no return, if that is not where we are already.
Let’s face it.
The enemy is within us and the evil is deeply entrenched. The cancer has metastasized and we have no one else to blame but ourselves. Years of erroneous policies marked by misplaced notions of national security helped create a Frankenstein monster of terror and extremism that has now come home to roost. Engendered by flawed security narrative and insular curricula, it is this radicalised generation of Pakistanis which is not only confined to the ungoverned tribal regions of Pakistan but also found in our cities, colleges and on facebook. The darkness, suffocation and stench have pervaded our society where Zaid hamid is an icon and I.A Rehman is little known. Surely, there must be something seriously wrong with us.
Let’s face it.
The enemy is within us and the evil is deeply entrenched. The cancer has metastasized and we have no one else to blame but ourselves. Years of erroneous policies marked by misplaced notions of national security helped create a Frankenstein monster of terror and extremism that has now come home to roost. Engendered by flawed security narrative and insular curricula, it is this radicalised generation of Pakistanis which is not only confined to the ungoverned tribal regions of Pakistan but also found in our cities, colleges and on facebook. The darkness, suffocation and stench have pervaded our society where Zaid hamid is an icon and I.A Rehman is little known. Surely, there must be something seriously wrong with us.
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