Sad times in Lahore

Raza Rumi

What a sad day it was – a city that usually glows with spring colours and crisp air was a death-zone. Everyone was afraid and depressed after the morning killings. The wound is far deeper than it appears. It has to do with how our country is moving towards anarchy and mayhem. And, we all continue to be bystanders at best screaming spectators. There were brave policemen today which was a silver lining. These men of courage offered their lives to protect the guests from Sri Lanka. Cricket fans were devastated for what will happen to the favourite sport? Who will come to Pakistan.

But more importantly, this is not what Lahoris and Pakistanis deserve. The great games outside and inside have made us hostage to grand,vested interests. About time, we spoke about it and registered that we count.

Apologies to the people of Sri Lanka. We tried to protect your team but failed. Hope you will understand that we are now unable to protect ourselves.

Photocredit: Mohsin Raza/Reuters – funeral of the policemen who were killed by the terrorists.

6 Comments

Yuva

March 4, 2009 11:54 am

not that it had any rational but just we india(ns) & westerners (mostly war-on-terror countries) was common targets but its very shocking to notice Lankans were attacked and that too cricketers.
and that too in lahore which i was told one of most liberal, beautiful, poetic cities in pakistan.

ofcourse, you are right no country certainly pakistanis dont deserve this trouble & reputation (and sports fan dont want to loss one from what is already a small group of test playing nations).

Naveed Siraj

March 4, 2009 6:10 pm

RR, you are right. We salute the Sri Lankans and while we are happy that they are safe, the security personnel who lost their lives should not become a footnote to this sad incident.

Yuva…the civil society in Pakistan was only hoping for solidarity from India. Nothing more. But since everyone is convinced that the results of the peace process between India and Pakistan are reversible due to bankrupcy of our politicians, for us to expect this from India is a tall order.

Funny that you feel aligned with the western countries as a common target as if Pakistan has not suffered as a victim having lost so much. Pakistan will always be looked at differently by our “friends” across the border. Sorry that on account of our implosion as society you have to lose a test playing nation. What great perspective to all this madness

Shaheryar Ali

March 4, 2009 8:09 pm

“You are playing a dangerous game , these guns which today are facing democratic Kabul will one day face Lahore and Islamabad, you cannot live safely after setting on fire your neighbor’s home”

Mir Gaus Bux Bizenjo warned Islamabad when Jihad was started in Afghanistan.

“If fundamentalism comes to Afghanistan, war will continue for many more years. Afghanistan will turn into a center of world smuggling for narcotic drugs. Afghanistan will be turned into a center for terrorism.â€

Shaheed President Najib’s last interview [He was hanged by Taliban when Pakistan backed forces took Kabul and than killed him ignoring all diplomatic norms. He was under UN protection. All of it was done due to silent approval by Pak and USA]

milieu

March 4, 2009 9:43 pm

Extremely tragic. Senseless. The threat of terrorism is facing the entire sub-continent and we see its victories one after the other helplessly.

Farida

March 5, 2009 4:10 pm

We are getting what we are getting in Pakistan, because we deserve it? The failures of our government in Islamabad and its inability to defend the country’s interests or its population from drones or terrorist attacks are paving the way for the return of the army to power. All that is awaited is a green light from the US. The fact is that, over the last year, the Zardari government has done a great deal for itself and its clients, but nothing for the people or the country.

Sidhusaaheb

March 5, 2009 6:42 pm

My first thoughts went out to the men of the ‘Elite’ section of the Punjab Police who lost their lives while defending the cricketers.

Some of the force’s men had been deployed to protect the Sikh Jathha visiting Sikh Shrines in Pakistan that my family and I were a part of, in 2006.

They did an excellent job and my brother and I had some very interesting conversations with some of them. Being fellow Punjabis and in the same age-bracket, besides being fellow Jatts as well, in some cases, we could connect easily.

Although loss of any human life is bad, I wished that none of those guys were among the dead.

Having said that, the kind of terrorism we are witness to in the sub-continent at present appears to have become a self-sustaining phenomenon and gone far beyond the control of the government agencies that reared it for their own so-called strategic purposes initially. God only knows what direction things are going to take in the future!

BTW, I think that nahiN reesaaN Lahore shehar diyaaN and fervently hope that such incidents shall not recur there.

Yuva

March 4, 2009 11:54 am

not that it had any rational but just we india(ns) & westerners (mostly war-on-terror countries) was common targets but its very shocking to notice Lankans were attacked and that too cricketers.
and that too in lahore which i was told one of most liberal, beautiful, poetic cities in pakistan.

ofcourse, you are right no country certainly pakistanis dont deserve this trouble & reputation (and sports fan dont want to loss one from what is already a small group of test playing nations).

Naveed Siraj

March 4, 2009 6:10 pm

RR, you are right. We salute the Sri Lankans and while we are happy that they are safe, the security personnel who lost their lives should not become a footnote to this sad incident.

Yuva…the civil society in Pakistan was only hoping for solidarity from India. Nothing more. But since everyone is convinced that the results of the peace process between India and Pakistan are reversible due to bankrupcy of our politicians, for us to expect this from India is a tall order.

Funny that you feel aligned with the western countries as a common target as if Pakistan has not suffered as a victim having lost so much. Pakistan will always be looked at differently by our “friends” across the border. Sorry that on account of our implosion as society you have to lose a test playing nation. What great perspective to all this madness

Shaheryar Ali

March 4, 2009 8:09 pm

“You are playing a dangerous game , these guns which today are facing democratic Kabul will one day face Lahore and Islamabad, you cannot live safely after setting on fire your neighbor’s home”

Mir Gaus Bux Bizenjo warned Islamabad when Jihad was started in Afghanistan.

“If fundamentalism comes to Afghanistan, war will continue for many more years. Afghanistan will turn into a center of world smuggling for narcotic drugs. Afghanistan will be turned into a center for terrorism.â€

Shaheed President Najib’s last interview [He was hanged by Taliban when Pakistan backed forces took Kabul and than killed him ignoring all diplomatic norms. He was under UN protection. All of it was done due to silent approval by Pak and USA]

milieu

March 4, 2009 9:43 pm

Extremely tragic. Senseless. The threat of terrorism is facing the entire sub-continent and we see its victories one after the other helplessly.

Farida

March 5, 2009 4:10 pm

We are getting what we are getting in Pakistan, because we deserve it? The failures of our government in Islamabad and its inability to defend the country’s interests or its population from drones or terrorist attacks are paving the way for the return of the army to power. All that is awaited is a green light from the US. The fact is that, over the last year, the Zardari government has done a great deal for itself and its clients, but nothing for the people or the country.

Sidhusaaheb

March 5, 2009 6:42 pm

My first thoughts went out to the men of the ‘Elite’ section of the Punjab Police who lost their lives while defending the cricketers.

Some of the force’s men had been deployed to protect the Sikh Jathha visiting Sikh Shrines in Pakistan that my family and I were a part of, in 2006.

They did an excellent job and my brother and I had some very interesting conversations with some of them. Being fellow Punjabis and in the same age-bracket, besides being fellow Jatts as well, in some cases, we could connect easily.

Although loss of any human life is bad, I wished that none of those guys were among the dead.

Having said that, the kind of terrorism we are witness to in the sub-continent at present appears to have become a self-sustaining phenomenon and gone far beyond the control of the government agencies that reared it for their own so-called strategic purposes initially. God only knows what direction things are going to take in the future!

BTW, I think that nahiN reesaaN Lahore shehar diyaaN and fervently hope that such incidents shall not recur there.

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