Bloodbath in Peshawar

 In Childhood I had heard-‘Brave die once, Cowards die everyday’.

Consequent upon hearing, seeing and sensing the uncalled for tragedy on T.V. concerning brutal and inhuman killing of 141 persons including 132 innocent children ,I suppose, either my faith in what I heard will be further deepened or I will be too shocked to react. In either of the situations, one will  have to zero down to blaming the most recent or emerging kind of suicide ,that is ,the fearsome cult of suicide bombing(S.B.) ,This has relegated to the background, the earlier lethal threat of small arms. So far, one knew from Emile Dukheim, the Father of Sociology only three types of unnatural acts leading to self killing-Egoistic, Altruistic and Animistic.

Why I wish to flag or underline S.B. because, of the six terrorist 'martyrs' involved in lynching 141 Persons and injuring over 200 in an Army School in Peshawar, majority may have taken a vow, once upon a time, to give up their lives for the sake of the so called Jehad. In Peshawar scenario, to my limited understanding ,it was not Jehad espoused for over 35 years or so, rather, it was supposedly an act of reprisal or revenge against the same brethren, led once by Maj.Gen.Nasirullah, who gave birth to the dreaded Talibans in Afghanistan. Z.A.Bhutto was the P.M. of Pakistan at that turning point of history.

As per available indications, upgraded and more focussed operations by Pak Army against the Taliban elements in Pakistan launched on 15th June 2014 seem to have led to this unthinkable brutality. Talibans, on their part are reported to have claimed displacement of more than 15 Lakh persons triggered by the most modern weapons, including indiscriminate use of Drones and F-16 planes.

When one learns about wards of Army officers getting separated in Peshawar prior to being butchered, it unfortunately reminds one of some parellels in our own country, when Sikh terrorism was at its peak and foundations were being laid systematically and religiously for the renewed terror attacks in the name of 'liberation' in the State of J&K.

What a time to choose? It has happened within a few hours of terror attack in Sydney and less than a week of Malala of Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi of India being conferred with Nobel Peace Prize jointly. The duo, incidentally fought for the child rights. Malala, in particular, may have more burden on her feeble shoulders now in view of the fact that she herself had escaped narrowly another dastardly Taliban attack in the past. No wonder, within a few hours of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claiming the responsibility of eight explosions leading to deaths, Malala called it senseless and cold-blooded.

The TTP, an umbrella organisation of 13 Islamist militant groups led by Maulana Fazlullah is based in north-west part of Pakistan. It has a sizeable following along the Afghan border in Pakistan. They  indulge in anti –Pak Government activities, insist on their own interpretation of the Sharia and do not fail in carrying out activities against the NATO led forces in Afghanistan. Allegedly it has close ties with Al-Qaeda going to the extent of sharing money and bomb makers with the latter, apart from training and planning together.

  Is it a case of being paid by one's own coins? Or will such unfortunate episodes unite once again the like-minded individuals all over the world to take an unbiased resolve to suppress this kind of drug inspired or instigated terrorism all over the Globe.?

One should not be saying but it is a felt, recorded and well documented fact that when innocent persons were targeted for years by the same very religious fanatics in India (and threat persists in some form or the other) ,educated and so-called sophisticated folks in other parts of world would not go beyond expressing a few routine words of sympathy or condemnation. Now that known and unknown places in the developed world and our own neighbourhood are falling prey to such a senseless violence every now and then, the World at large, seems to be waking up.

  

Our friends in the neighbourhood, despite facing recurrent threats, do not refrain from following double standards, nonetheless. While Talibans in Pakistan are being shown their worth lately, people like Hafiz Saeed, having hand in numerous terror attacks including infamous 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, are also being sheltered ,encouraged and possibly worshiped. Same is not happening at the time of a spineless Government. It has been the part and parcel of their unquestioned national policy for decades. In order to hide your failures on the Human Development front (say widespread Polio), is it 'wise' to take recourse to primordial loyalties and perpetuate further, the ills of the system?.

In USA, some of the top liberal Security experts have even gone on record to confess that they are more alarmed and concerned after 9/11 tragedy, Needless to say, it led to more serious debates and pre-emptive steps in the name of Homeland Security. It is high time, we had at last a well coordinated sharing of information in an electronic form ,bound by a signed UN Protocol and followed up by an unbiased action against the cult of terror, rather than only eliminating a handful of illiterates and heavily indoctrinated youngsters or their elderly guides and Think-Tanks.

Better late than Never. Perhaps one can wind up on this candid and optimistic note.