Three years have passed ......... I was sitting in the same chair, in front of the same computer when a colleague broke the saddest news of my life "Terrorists have attacked Army Public School in Peshawar", my very first reaction was of unbelief and shock, at that time I hadn't heard the details of attack and barbarity that had taken place in that institution, I was still in doubt that there must have been some confusion at the terrorists' end, they have killed people indiscriminately in mosques, churches, markets but this time they may have confused their target and wrongly entered a school full of children ........ I was hoping for a strong enemy who would realize his mistake and leave at the first sight of young children in the place .............. but unfortunately and against all hopes I was wrong to think that our enemy is a human. When later on I heard about the number of children massacred at the hands of barbarians ........... I went from totally a rationally thinking human into being a helpless person who couldn't think anything properly, my only thoughts for many days remained to skin alive the terrorists and their planners who committed this heinous act. I tried to imagine and wish they would have attacked me in the mosque but they shouldn't have killed my children. I was naive then to hope that no matter what our conflict and fight wouldn't harm our children, they will remain children who would be busy in their own care less lives, not affected by what we adults are making of their future ........ but terrorists made everyone of us to see the reality. For days I remained in a helpless situation, nothing would appeal me, nothing would help me think straight, I would hope for a miracle to reverse all that has happened, whenever I would look at my own children I would have this feeling a pain in my heart, I would keep imagining what those parents whose young ones got riddled by bullets would have gone through, how they would cope with the grief, what would or could bring them the solace .............
Now after three years when I look around and at myself and try to understand that how this sad incident made us change, to my utter dissatisfaction nothing much has changed ........ except for Army fighting and throwing those terrorists out of their strongholds, nothing much Pakistani people as a society have changed. They remain divided, they remain tools in the hands of misinterpreted ideologies and beliefs of enemies, they remain irrational, intolerant who would harm themselves in the name of Islam. I wonder how would any other people have reacted after this incident, we Pakistanis raise the hollow slogans of Never again but given the opportunity we still remain pretty much corruptible in the name of Islam, without thinking, without knowing, without imagining. Our beliefs and faith remains hostage at the hands of any person who supports a beard and wears an Imama, at state level we couldn't formulate one single policy to stop the business of illegal unregistered religious institutions, we couldn't come up with a unified counter narrative to tell the world and its people that we do learn and we won't let anyone play with our emotions.
Today marks the third year of the saddest incident in our Pakistani history, we will light many candles, media would interview the parents of those children, and there would be talk shows. We will type Never again on every forum and make hollow promised and slogans. Would that all be enough, when we daily are making future of our children and generations to come a nightmare. Terrorists shook my belief in humanity, but my nation shook my belief in people and their capabilities. May ALLAH give solace and patience to the grieving hearts of all the children who passed away without making any mark, because of our incompetence as a people, nation and state.
Now after three years when I look around and at myself and try to understand that how this sad incident made us change, to my utter dissatisfaction nothing much has changed ........ except for Army fighting and throwing those terrorists out of their strongholds, nothing much Pakistani people as a society have changed. They remain divided, they remain tools in the hands of misinterpreted ideologies and beliefs of enemies, they remain irrational, intolerant who would harm themselves in the name of Islam. I wonder how would any other people have reacted after this incident, we Pakistanis raise the hollow slogans of Never again but given the opportunity we still remain pretty much corruptible in the name of Islam, without thinking, without knowing, without imagining. Our beliefs and faith remains hostage at the hands of any person who supports a beard and wears an Imama, at state level we couldn't formulate one single policy to stop the business of illegal unregistered religious institutions, we couldn't come up with a unified counter narrative to tell the world and its people that we do learn and we won't let anyone play with our emotions.
Today marks the third year of the saddest incident in our Pakistani history, we will light many candles, media would interview the parents of those children, and there would be talk shows. We will type Never again on every forum and make hollow promised and slogans. Would that all be enough, when we daily are making future of our children and generations to come a nightmare. Terrorists shook my belief in humanity, but my nation shook my belief in people and their capabilities. May ALLAH give solace and patience to the grieving hearts of all the children who passed away without making any mark, because of our incompetence as a people, nation and state.
