When you are teaching at Boston University, just to keep your students happy if not anything else, you have to perhaps change your roots. When the suicide attack happened on Marriott Hotel Islamabad, which killed many and turned the chic hotel to rubble and Islamabad the beautiful got deprived of its most elegant hotel. Then the Adil Najam of Pakistaniat wrote this bland piece, which was just an aggregation of news clips, which even mentioned on the top that the blast at around 2:37 p.m. (0935 GMT) was just hours before a Indian High Commission function to celebrate Republic Day was due to be held at the hotel.
Then the sad attacks of Mumbai happened and even in the initial hours of attacks and operation against the terrorists, the Indian media started blaming Pakistan and every Ram, Gopal and Varam started threatening Pakistan. Indian media spun all kinds of strange and baseless stories to implicate Pakistan and started demanding blood. Indian analysts, writers, anchor persons and other birds accused, abused and called names to Pakistan.
Though Pakistani media including the blogosphere played a commendable role in combating the media attack from India and logically and rationally answered their aggression, but there were some so-called intellectuals and blog champions, who in their head own the blogistan, showed a shameful fawning and servile attitude. Just read this piece by Adil Najam of Pakistaniat on Mumbai blast and then compare it to the Marriott Blast article.
But rest assured, Adil gets another semester to teach at Boston University and perhaps earned himself an honorary guest at Taj or Oberoi Hotel under those grandiose structure. But we in Islamabad love even the ashes of Marriott and intend to build it again and many more like it, InshaAllah.
I read with interest the comments by Commoner about Adil Najam’s “I am a Mumbaikar”. Well, personally I do not know Adil Najam but as a fellow blogger and a very senior one. I have a deep attachment to his website Pakistaniat.com. And I have this coz apart from what appears in his blog, its also the very name he has selected, which not only fascinates me but also makes every Pakistani to be proud of being a Pakistani, and a confidence in his Pakistaniat (the Pakistani way of life).
So when I saw comments by Commoner, they appeared to give a feeling, something satirical over Adil’s reaction towards Mumbai attacks. Frankly speaking I was stunned to observe that a staunch Pakistani like him will say something unfavorable to Pakistan (which Commoner’s comments did portray) so I decided to read his interview given to the two guys at the BU and then his complete post in your blog.
However, much to my amazement, I didn’t find anything undesirable, rather he testified what a Pakistani, a normal human being would react to such an act of terrorism.
Being Pakistani does not mean we should rejoice if innocent lives are lost in India. Same holds true in case of Pakistan as well. Innocent people dying at the hands of terrorists (whoever they are) in bomb blasts, suicide explosions, target killings are condemnable, no matter committed by whom; they are all acts of criminals. So if he feels sorry and sad on plight of loss of human lives in Mumbai its natural as a human being.
I fully agree with Adil what he said in interview to BU guys. However, reaction by our Indian fellas in form of threatening Pakistan, using abusive language against us does not behove civilized people, and it further tentamounts to strengthen the hands of such forces (the forces of extremism, both in India and Pakistan) who do not want peace between India and Pakistan. We fought three successive wars but neither India did gain any thing nor did our country. Even in the past the nations that fought wars ultimately had to sit around negotiating table to find permanent peace.
The subcontinent can have the real fruits of independence only in a peaceful environment. Those who wish war, this aggrandizement to continue, whether they are in India or in Pakistan have own vested interests, interests that directly collide with the interests of common masses both in India and Pakistan.
The previous wars between India and Pakistan primarily benefitted the US war industry which has sold billions of dollars worth of military hardware to both India and Pakistan.
And lastly, please never forget, both nations are nuclear powers. The holocaust the Japanese went though in Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings has made that country to always beg for peace, why, because they experienced it.
God forbid, if there would be a war between the two neighbors, it will not remain confined to a conventional war, there is every likelihood, that it might escalate to use of a nuclear bomb or bombs. In other words a total annihilation of every thing, a subcontinent with charred bones and lethal radio activity where for centuries there will be no life.
(However, while I write this, it should not be taken as a sign of weakness on our part. We are very proud of our country, when we talk of peace; it should mean peace and not a sign of our weakness).
If Adil N sb has written the article thinking that anything else would blemish his reputation at the prestigious university its a far feteched thought. More and more people while working and studying in west feel more responsible since they are answerable to multitudes of people who are thinking not emotionally but rationally. The point is, if this piece was written to win some favours of being a scholar and a sensitive human being it may have found its way to applause. But that would be very meagre rather of no value. My point is, one should be transparent in comenting and writing about facts as they seem to that individual. By doing that, sometimes you can even construct a masterpiece. Its not important to have complete information and write. One cn muse and scribble.
We in Pakistan have given a calculated and responsible answers to all indian media sham rhetoric. The fear being instilled in Pakistani nation has been miraculuosly dumped. Now we stand firmer and nearer than ever before.