My Dear Indians,
December 16 is quickly becoming a dreaded day for humanity. In 2012, India witnessed the horrific rape and assault on a Delhi woman, who was fondly named Nirbhaya. In 2014, our heads hung in shame as terrorist group Pakistani Taliban barged into Army School in Peshawar and open fired on innocent children.
We might point the finger of blame on Pakistan politics and some may even claim that they deserved it.
But really? Does any country deserve 134 of its children slaughtered like livestock?
We should all be ashamed. We should all shed tears. We should all do something. It is so easy to blame the government, the system – even go as far as cornering all the problems to a single religious community. Let me tell you, no religion teaches anyone to kill. It is a shame that the people who justify the so-called “Jihad” in the name of Quran have never really understood it.
Why do we forget that all holy books were written in a different generation; where the needs of the society were different than what they are?
Even if the writings are to be taken absolutely literally, will someone, anyone please quote me the exact paragraph where it written
“It is alright to kill children.”
This is not about religion. This is about the need for control. It is about a group of people with no conscience, no heart. These do not belong to any religion. They belong to no country. They belong to extremism. They are terrorists. I would use a bigger, dirtier word if there was any.
What could be gained by killing children? If the Taliban were so concerned with the greater good of this country, why would you massacre its future? These children were Pakistan’s future doctors, engineers, lawyers, soldiers, corporate leaders…one of them could have made the country proud by winning a Nobel. Maybe we lost a Pulitzer or an Academy Award winner.
We’ll never know.
Imagine the pain that is searing through Pakistan right now. If you have kid, imagine you sending them to school to become better citizens. And the next time you see them is in a mangled heap of bullets and flesh. Can you imagine the despair that is gripping 134 families at the moment?
Leave aside all thought of Pakistan being a rival country. Forget the wars that have transpired between us. Forget all prejudice you have against the citizens of that country. For now, just feel the pain. Realize that the lives lost today were blameless. Grieve the loss as if it were your own. Be sensitive to the families that will never be the same again.
Let us promise that we will live our lives and make our choices with conscience and warmth, with tolerance and logic, with compassion and love. Let us all come together and demand to educate and be educated. Maybe then, piece by piece, one person at a time, our hearts will beat as one. Maybe then, no one will dare to misquote our beloved scriptures and mislead us.
Maybe then, we would finally have peace.
Sincerely,
Pakistan.
LINK: Anupam Kher Writes An Open Letter to The Terrorists (Peshawar Attack)
