Daily Times

If you want me to believe the state narrative, about the mysterious death of Dr. Hasan Zafar Arif, in Karachi, I will. I will accept, that he passed away because his heart failed to function properly. There was no sign of foul play and his daughter confirmed as such. The story ends here and the people should bury the matter and move on.

I would believe every single word of it, had this been the very first occurrence of a death in highly questionable circumstances. I can pretend like most of the eminent and prominent journos, by mentioning this in their Monday segments and then ignoring it completely. No demands for judicial inquiries and no need for further probing, what really happened. After all, according to them, he was guilty of associating himself with the wrong political party. Our long history of deaths in dubious and strange circumstances, hinders in swallowing the pre-packaged narrative of this recent death.

But most people with reasonable intelligence, can see what I see and share it rather openly on social media. Just last week, yours truly had touched on the tales of our never-ending list of hashtags. Well, this week began with the shocking news of his untimely demise and a hashtag wishing his soul to rest in eternal peace.  One sincerely wishes that his soul finds the best places in the heavens above. But with utmost respects, certainly and respectfully would hope that his remains get a bit of that much-needed peace as well.

Based on what was immediately circulated on the social media, his remains bore marks of torture. Pardon the gory description, but it is warranted in this case. His head had a cut which bled, the right frontal face had bleeding, running down his nose. The neck had cuts, the ribs and back showed signs of use of force and one of the arms showed an area, where the skin was hollow. A sign, of use of drill machine to afflict pain and suffering. Deductive reasoning leads you to believe that all of this, perhaps induced the failure of his heart. If you think all of this is natural, then I have nothing further to add.

Arif’s killing was a signal to the party bearers in London that their presence in the city in any shape or form was unacceptable

According to the reports, the late doctor left for his home last Saturday, after meeting his associates, and then went missing. He was found dead the following day in a vicinity, far away from his house and in the backseat of his car. So, someone with an ounce of intelligence can decipher, that he did not torture himself and then hop back in the car on a rear seat and wait for the angel of death to lead him up above.

The Twitter timelines on Sunday brought a series of reactions. There were some who were indifferent. Some heartless people rejoiced his death as he belonged to the political party, which the state mouthpieces strongly oppose presently. Some apolitical and civil society members were gravely concerned and the party loyalists deeply saddened and in a state of shock.

What was shocking was the brutal, callous and heartless killing of an academic who was in his early seventies. One expected that a senior citizen like him, who had led an idealistic life with no prior baggage and an accomplished and exemplary academic career, will be spared. The chills that ran down many spines, were due to this horrific assassination. The message is loud and clear; rhyme, reason and dissent are not welcomed here at all.

His killing was a signal to the party bearers in London that their presence in the city in any shape or form was unacceptable. This rang true, even when it came to a lifeless monument which was in the party’s stronghold in Karachi. There was a fist on a street depicting the strength of the community. This was the same fist, that first Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan, had once demonstrated while challenging the enemies of the nation. That sign was wrongly attributed to the Supremo in London and was promptly covered. A lackey of the Establishment journo, did post the photos of that covering, with catchy taglines full of pride on Twitter.

The readers who have followed the write ups of this scribe at this venue, will vouch that I have strongly criticized agitational politics or a few objectionable utterances of the Supremo. In a previous article, I have categorically stated that despite my reservations and differences, there is a significant number of people who look up towards their only leader in London. The substitutes that are claiming to be his replacement, do not possess the same bond, nor a quarter of his charisma. These are his people and they look up to him. Leaders cannot be manufactured or installed. Millions of people feel betrayed, disenfranchised and marginalized. When a significant majority loses its motivation, it has a disastrous impact.

As far as, disappearances and extrajudicial killings such as Dr. Arif are concerned, these are shameful and reprehensible. In this day and age, dissent is valued and celebrated by civilized societies, as it opens dialogue. With dialogue, you bring positive changes. Without thinking minds, society can turn into a  sewer and with such actions we may soon have an unbearable stench, challenging our very existence.

The writer is a Pakistani-US mortgage banker. He can be reached at dasghar@aol.com and on Twitter @dasghar

Published in Daily Times, January 21^st 2018.