Daily Times

“Look, the reason is because people are upset about Israel’s indifference towards the plight of our Palestinian brothers and sisters.” “It is all a reaction due to the lingering and unresolved Kashmir issue.” “Had Pervez Musharraf not participated in the US war, we would be in endless tranquillity.” I am sure all of us have been hearing these sentences nonstop for years on our screens. The pseudo defence analysts, retired military people, bureaucrats and, above all, clerics and clergy with long beards and spotless head covers obfuscating the main issue and taking us into the wilderness of abject denial, with their so-called sound reasoning and unquestionable logic, have all been playing their role.

Allow me to say this and with the utmost respect to a few well-intentioned souls in this group: thank you so much but please spare our children and us your pearls of wisdom. You have perhaps failed this nation with half-baked theories, blatant lies and, of course, unsubstantiated claims. Your cocoon of never ending confusion and deceit has cost this nation heavily and immensely. By golly, it is time that this nation, very respectfully, tells you to shut the heck up.

I still remember reading in Pakistani papers, when 9/11 happened here, that it was all a Jewish conspiracy and that not a single Jew was a victim of that “staged drama”. Not to mention, our televisions in the US showed pictures of a few Jewish victims who perished on that dark day. This wild conspiracy theory was constructed about the US government deliberately attacking itself to find a reason to invade Afghanistan. When 26/11 struck Mumbai, the same factory went into full swing calling it all a RAW conspiracy and when a Pakistani channel broke the news of Ajmal Kasab being a Pakistani, there were, of course, more twists that were presented. I remember being at London Heathrow when CNN broke the news of Saddam’s capture by US forces. By the time I reached Karachi, I was told that it was not Saddam but one of his doubles. How could such a powerful man be found in a rat hole? If this does not tell you what is wrong with us then nothing will. We are in a state of denial. We have been lying, fabricating and deceiving ourselves for decades.

The manifestations of such baseless lies have finally struck at our heart. The massacre at the Army Public School in Peshawar has basically shown us the mirror and what we see is very ugly. Precious lives were lost and their screams were deafening. Muffled in those innocent screams somewhere is a whisper. Only folks with a clear mind and a clearer heart can hear. That murmur is, “You failed us.” Being a parent myself of two precious children, let me admit with the utmost shame that, yes, we have failed miserably those helpless souls.

It is high time we admit that we have failed thousands of people who died along with the recent ones by enjoying our cozy slumber of denial. We would have moved on as usual, but, amazingly, this world around us has shown, with its endless outpouring, that this one is quite different. Even if we try to stay in that comfort zone of inaction, the world around us will not let us do so. Being one of the staunchest and most vocal critics of Mr Imran Khan, I must say that he has gained my profound respect by calling off his protests in light of the recent disaster in Peshawar. Mr Khan, your taking one step back has put you 1,000 steps ahead. The entire political leadership has united due to this catastrophic loss to give a signal to the nation and its enemies that is clear and unambiguous: our men in uniform are focused in carrying on with their mission and, perhaps, to its logical conclusion.

The bigger question that is perhaps crossing many minds is: what can a common man like me do? For starters, exhale and admit that it is a conflict that challenges your very existence. It is not the US’s war or some other country’s problem. It is a common threat being faced by almost every country in this world. Being a strong proponent of free speech, it pains me to say this but it is high time to take apologists off air and away from our screens. Those who provide sympathies, misplaced arguments and concocted conspiracy theories need to be boycotted and, yes, with full vengeance. If a television channel hosts any such character on screen use your fingers to call, tweet or email that channel endlessly to register your unrestrained disdain. You will see how swiftly commercial enterprises will cater to your voices.

When you go for prayers and a cleric starts praising modern day brutes and barbarians with veiled references, stand up in a group and question his stance. If there is no clear response, might as well get up and leave without creating any conflict. If most of us do that, our actions will send the strong message to these folks that there is no tolerance and patience left for their inglorious heroes in the hearts and minds of this nation.

If you see anyone in the neighbourhood acting suspiciously or praising these characters, report that person without fail to the law enforcement agencies. Any hate speech against any sect, religion or person needs to be reported on social media and to the mainstream media. Until and unless the tolerance level is brought down to subzero for all such nonsense, society will not change. Society as a whole has to send a message to the merchants of hate and terror in one voice that their game is over. Shut the heck up.

The writer is a Pakistani-US mortgage banker. He can be reached at dasghar@aol.com. He tweets at http://twitter.com/dasghar