batmannow
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2008
- Messages
- 18,830
- Reaction score
- -19
- Country
- Location
Five TTP-linked terrorists arrested, claims Punjab police
DawnNews and Agencies | 3 hours ago
LAHORE: Police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested five terrorists of banned outfit Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) allegedly involved in terrorism activities in Punjab province.
Addressing a news conference here at the Police Club, Inspector General of Punjab Police Haji Habibur Rehman said that the miscreants belonging to North Waziristans Miranshah area were arrested in a joint operation by the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Police Multan and Makhdoom Rasheed Police.
He said that the terrorists were involved in several crimes including a bank robbery in Green Town area, an attack on Babu Sabu checkpost, an attack on District Police Officer (DPO) Dera Ismail Khan office, the murder of constable in DI Khan and multiple attacks on members of the Shia sect.
The outlaws were arrested on information obtained through five criminals earlier arrested by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police, he said, added that they had planned to carry out terrorism activities during the month of Moharram.
Police arrests LeJ militants after Karachi violence kills 40
DAWN.COM and AFP | 1 day ago
KARACHI: Police in Karachi has arrested four suspected militants they said were planning a wave of sectarian attacks in the city, following a bloody three days in which around 40 people were killed.
Mohammad Aslam Khan, the head of the police anti-extremism cell in southern Sindh province, said the four were members of Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LeJ), a banned Sunni militant group blamed for many deadly attacks on Shias.
Khan said the men were planning strikes during Muharram, when Shias hold public processions, and police had seized at least 25 kilograms of explosives, along with grenades, automatic rifles and pistols.
Of the 40 or so killed in the city of 18 million people over the past three days, 24 were in sectarian or political violence, Khan said. More than half of the victims were Shia
The objective of this wave of target killings was to spread sectarian strife in the city as a prelude to Muharram, Khan told AFP.
Lashkar-i-Jhangvi is regarded as the most extreme Sunni terror group in Pakistan and is accused of killing hundreds of Shias since its emergence in the early 1990s.
It developed close ties to al Qaeda and the Taliban, which ruled in Afghanistan from 1996 until the 2001 US-led invasion.
Pakistan formally banned the group in 2001 and there have been numerous crackdowns with arrests and killings of known Jhangvi operatives over the last 20 years.
Chief of LeJ, Malik Ishaq, is implicated in dozens of cases, mostly murder. He was released on bail in July last year after serving a jail term of nearly 14 years.
Since his release he had been frequently put under house arrest as his sermons raised sectarian tensions, officials said.
A spokesman for the government paramilitary Rangers told AFP on Tuesday that troops arrested 23 other suspects across the city, including an alleged notorious target killer Shamim ur Rehman, in a bid to stop targeted killing.
Zardari sees conspiracy in Karachi
Zardari sees conspiracy in Karachi - thenews.com.pk
November 14, 2012 - Updated 1556 PKT
From Web Edition
MANDI BAHAUDDIN: President Asif Ali Zardari has said that deteriorating law and order situation doesnt reflect failure of the government, Geo News reported on Wednesday.
Addressing an Eid Millan Party in Mandi Bahauddin, the president said that it was part of terrorists policy to aggravate situation in Karachi to engage the state and undermine its efforts against war on terror.
Zardari announced that general elections would be free and fair and to be held in time, adding that electoral rolls were made in such a way that could prevent rigging.
We intend to stabilize Pakistan through resources wherever we found them and bring them here, we cannot follow philosophy of 5 years, we have to look beyond that, the president said.
He called for joint efforts to serve the country, adding that governments rivals also conceded the parliament was going to complete its tenure.
We didnt work for a single party instead we worked for Pakistan, we will prosper if Pakistan will, we will drown if Pakistan sinks, he added.
The president recalled that he spent his youth days in the jails of Punjab.
Punjab police arrest five suspected militants, avert terror bid
By Web DeskPublished: November 10, 2012
Punjab police arrest five suspected militants, avert terror bid – The Express Tribune
LAHORE: Punjab Police arrested five suspected militants, who were allegedly planning a terror attack, from Alfalah Town in Lahore on Saturday, Express News reported.
The police and security agencies conducted a search operation on Friday night, in which five suspected militants along with five women and two children were apprehended, while hand grenades and arms were recovered from their possession. A map of the house of former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, situated in DHA Lahore, was also found, sources further revealed to The Express Tribune.
The hand grenades were handed to the Bomb Disposal Squad and were defused.
A member of this terrorist network detained in Islamabad had told authorities that his cohorts were hiding in Alfalah Town, sources familiar with the matter revealed while talking to The Express Tribune.
According to neighbours and eyewitness reports, heavy firing started around 3 am and lasted for about an hour inside and outside the Baig House in Alfalah Town, followed by a series of dialogues that led to the surrender of the suspected terrorists.
All twelve residents of Baig House were shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.
Nine alleged militants who were released on bail from various jails of Punjab in September are believed to be planning attacks against rival sects in Moharram, warns a report of an intelligence agency forwarded to the IG Police Punjab
If I say things against Taliban who will save my workers? Says 'Brave Khan'
Live with Talat on Express News [Imran Khan Exclusive] – 9th October 2012
Shooting down drones will be a last resort: Imran Khan – The Express Tribune
Khan said that he does not condemn Taliban openly since it would make his local affiliates and supporters Taliban targets.
Days after leading hundreds of peace activists to the door steps of drone afflicted South Waziristan, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman said that shooting down drones attacking Pakistani areas would be an option of last resort, and that the key to peace in FATA lay with its armed tribal residents.
Speaking with Talat Hussain on Express News show Live with Talat on Tuesday evening, Khan said that the only way to bring peace to the troubled badlands of Pakistan was to visibly pull out of Americas war, call for an end to drone strikes and entrust the armed tribals to police their own areas.
Detailing that the objective of his march was to create peace by taking tribals on board. He stressed that true peace could only be achieved once the war of hearts and minds are won.
War on terror was a war against extremism, but it has only served to intensify extremism, he said.
The second objective of the march, Khan said, was to talk with tribals of agencies afflicted by drones and militancy. He said that there is a need to combat the perception that Pakistan is fighting Americas war which breeds hatred against the government. You need to get out of Amercias war, to remove the perception we are getting money from US, or take their orders, tell the tribals that the jihad has ended. Only then the local people will stand up against militants.
Offering a solution to militancy, he said the only way is to give tribals the responsibility to deal with the militants, and then gradually withdraw our forces and exit US war.
Stopping drones critical
Khan had lead hundreds of people in a march to South Waziristan over the weekend. While the peaceful protesters were stopped from entering the troubled valley, Khan reiterated that drones presented the greatest obstacle in achieving peace.
If drone attacks stop, we can say we are out of US war. Also when we say we have stopped taking US money, we can tell local tribals to reclaim their land, and tell them that the Jihad has ended and the armed tribals numbering 0.8 -0.9 million can then slowly reclaim their land, Khan argued.
However, when the host Talat Hussain argued that the US, nor the UN security council have listened to Pakistan governments appeals and arguments of the drones being counterproductive, and in all likelihood are to continue the attacks despite what Islamabad says, Khan said they would exhaust all forums to argue against the drones before opting for a last resort action.
We are starting an international petition which says drones are inhuman and violate human rights. We will go to New York and have a Tsunami outside the UN.
We will have American Pakistanis and US peace activists protesting drones and hand over the petition to the UN saying UN laws are being violated, Khan said of his immediate plans to tackle drones.
We will also try to get Angelina Jolie there too, he said, before adding that his party, the PTI has also taken a legal recourse against drones by filing a suit with NGO Reprieveat.
With elections only five months away, Khan was asked what would he do against drones if he is voted into power, the cricketer-turned-politician said that the day PTI comes into power, we will tell them [US] to stop drones, we are a sovereign, democratic country. Article 4 of the Constitution places responsibitly of Pakistan government that you cannot do anything to Pakistani citizens. You are making our war difficult for us. We take responsibility that there will be no terrorism from Pakistan, but you cannot dictate to us, nor will we take your money, but we will fight in our own way.
When pressed for a contingency plan of action, Khan said that they would adopt a step by step approach at convincing the US and the world at large to stop drones. If they [US] do not agree, we will go to the UN and the Security Council and highlight that this is a violation of our sovereignty We will try to convince them logically that the drones are not providing a solution, instead are causing the disease to spread apart from being a violation of human rights, our air space and sovereignty and that it is not having the desired results.
When Hussain further pressed that if in the event the international community does not display sympathy for Pakistan, what would Khan do?
If that does not stop them, then Imran Khan will do what Imran Khan needs to do, I will order the PAF to shoot down the drones.
When asked that the PTI chief was ready to plunge Pakistan into a war with the US and NATO, Khan said that he is ready for war but that he would defend the people, defend them till the end.
Shooting down drones will be a last resort, because I cannot allow our people to be killed, he added.
Condemns Malala attack, but not Taliban
Khan, whose less than critical view of Taliban has earned him the moniker Taliban Khan, condemned the day-time attack on the teenage peace activist Malala Yousufzai in Swat.
However, when he was asked why did he not condemn the Taliban who had claimed responsibility for the attack, Khan defended his decision not to be so candid.
We have local affiliates and supporters. Sure I can give big statements against the Taliban, but that would make them [supporters] Taliban targets, said the PTI chief.
Malala vs. Vanilla
Masud Alam | 18th October, 2012
Malala vs. Vanilla | DAWN.COM
There is a period in everyones life when I becomes the hero; talks, walks, thinks and feels like one; lives a heros life wholly or partly in ones head.
Teens, 20s, thereabout, I see myself doing a lead role in the film. Hear my thoughts expressed by poets and artists. The world is created for a purpose, and that purpose is I. All that can be imagined is real, is achievable. And there is so much more that is still to be imagined! Life seems too short even to reckon all the possibilities out there, where is the time or the clue for making a choice? Deciding on one imagination and setting about making it real?
So the hero, lets imagination runs amok. Jagjit and Chitras mil ker judah huay toh na soya karein gey hum can evoke an emotional state of pain and suffering we will endure if we meet and separate, notwithstanding the fact that theres no we; and I have no curiosity about the double chance of meeting and separating. And yet I have wept at ek doosray ki yaad mein roya karein gey hum. Its not the power of lyrics which is lazy poetry created for Dubais Indian mujra joints, to introduce to patrons late in the night, when desi men of all ages are suitably drunk, and wish for stupid things that remind them of their days of living like a hero.
It is the power of imagination of the hero. Imagination is what makes I the hero, for as long as it lasts. And not everyones imagination dwells only on ghazals for the drunk. Some heroes dream of higher things, they recognise their aspirations, their ambitions, and refuse to accept or even acknowledge the limitations set by society. Rarely, the hero zeroes in on one area and builds his or her imagination within that sphere. They become artists, artisans, writers, scientists, teachers, doctors, social workers, politicians, sportspeople for life. They become heroes for life.
For the majority, the power of imagination leaves. As suddenly and inexplicably as it had arrived. Priorities change as reality hits home. Learning stops and yearning for regular income through regular means begins. Excitement is replaced by routine, zeal by caution, and exuberance by introspection. Another dreamer turns into a boring, conformist human being of the vanilla variety the world is teeming with. Another individual surrenders their uniqueness and becomes part of a homogenous mass seeking upward mobility. Some of them get the comforts they chase, some dont. Some are happy with a normal non-hero life; some hate it and hold it against everyone who is anyones hero.
Its the desire and drive to imagine when everyone elses imagination fails, that separates heroes from others.
When Swat was ruled by terrorists, its residents took the orders from an illegal FM broadcast and obeyed them in letter and spirit. If the terrorists said no school from tomorrow they kept their children home. If they said people could come out of homes, residents crowded the markets for grocery shopping. And when they were told that the headless bodies hung upside down in the town square are not to be removed; men, women and children went about their routines pretending not to see the terror installations. The religious leaders, the political leaders, the social and community leaders, they were all silent out of fear. They could see, they could think and feel, but they couldnt talk about it.
A little girl of 11 years or so chose to talk. She shared with Pakistanis and with the rest of the world, what it was like to live under Taliban rule. She didnt bring in religion, politics or even ethnicity in her blogs. She was a student eager to get education and she saw the terrorists as anti-education. She and her parents who must get credit for their courage in letting her speak out imagined the terrorists could be defeated; that education was a right that could not be taken away by gun-wielding thugs; that millions of Pakistanis would come out in support of this right. She imagined. That little girl was the only one who could. And that is what makes her a hero.
Malala Yusufzai is now 14, and fighting for her life after being shot by the Taliban. A nation that has not seen a hero in its lifetime was reluctant in accepting one as young as Malala, but the attack on her did the trick. Pakistanis spoke as one, in favour of education and against ignorance, in favour of Malala and against the Taliban, in favour of those who can imagine and against those who want barricades on imagination.
The girl in critical care has done us another favour. She has pulled the mask off the faces of those who are the enemies of education and imagination. She has forced the leaders of people to choose their place across the line. Everyone has had to condemn the act, under public pressure, but the partisan ones have given themselves away by attempting to side-track the issue with drones, Waziristan operation, funding sources and what not. They are all on record Fazlur Rehman, Sami Ul Haq, Munawwar Hasan, Imran Khan, Chaudhry Nisar and they have all spoken for their parties. So there. Half of our political class chooses to defend the terrorists who sprayed bullets at young girls, with the intention to kill. Giving us this realisation is what makes Malala a hero.
There are millions of children growing up in Pakistan without a healthy imagination. There are another few millions who have no access to education. Malala has given a voice to these millions and who knows, the historian may record that she gave a whole nation hope. And courage. And thats what makes Malala a hero. A hero for life.
Masud Alam is an Islamabad-based writer, columnist and journalism trainer. He can be reached at masudalam@yahoo.com
DawnNews and Agencies | 3 hours ago
LAHORE: Police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested five terrorists of banned outfit Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) allegedly involved in terrorism activities in Punjab province.
Addressing a news conference here at the Police Club, Inspector General of Punjab Police Haji Habibur Rehman said that the miscreants belonging to North Waziristans Miranshah area were arrested in a joint operation by the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Police Multan and Makhdoom Rasheed Police.
He said that the terrorists were involved in several crimes including a bank robbery in Green Town area, an attack on Babu Sabu checkpost, an attack on District Police Officer (DPO) Dera Ismail Khan office, the murder of constable in DI Khan and multiple attacks on members of the Shia sect.
The outlaws were arrested on information obtained through five criminals earlier arrested by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police, he said, added that they had planned to carry out terrorism activities during the month of Moharram.
Police arrests LeJ militants after Karachi violence kills 40
DAWN.COM and AFP | 1 day ago
KARACHI: Police in Karachi has arrested four suspected militants they said were planning a wave of sectarian attacks in the city, following a bloody three days in which around 40 people were killed.
Mohammad Aslam Khan, the head of the police anti-extremism cell in southern Sindh province, said the four were members of Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LeJ), a banned Sunni militant group blamed for many deadly attacks on Shias.
Khan said the men were planning strikes during Muharram, when Shias hold public processions, and police had seized at least 25 kilograms of explosives, along with grenades, automatic rifles and pistols.
Of the 40 or so killed in the city of 18 million people over the past three days, 24 were in sectarian or political violence, Khan said. More than half of the victims were Shia
The objective of this wave of target killings was to spread sectarian strife in the city as a prelude to Muharram, Khan told AFP.
Lashkar-i-Jhangvi is regarded as the most extreme Sunni terror group in Pakistan and is accused of killing hundreds of Shias since its emergence in the early 1990s.
It developed close ties to al Qaeda and the Taliban, which ruled in Afghanistan from 1996 until the 2001 US-led invasion.
Pakistan formally banned the group in 2001 and there have been numerous crackdowns with arrests and killings of known Jhangvi operatives over the last 20 years.
Chief of LeJ, Malik Ishaq, is implicated in dozens of cases, mostly murder. He was released on bail in July last year after serving a jail term of nearly 14 years.
Since his release he had been frequently put under house arrest as his sermons raised sectarian tensions, officials said.
A spokesman for the government paramilitary Rangers told AFP on Tuesday that troops arrested 23 other suspects across the city, including an alleged notorious target killer Shamim ur Rehman, in a bid to stop targeted killing.
Zardari sees conspiracy in Karachi
Zardari sees conspiracy in Karachi - thenews.com.pk
November 14, 2012 - Updated 1556 PKT
From Web Edition
MANDI BAHAUDDIN: President Asif Ali Zardari has said that deteriorating law and order situation doesnt reflect failure of the government, Geo News reported on Wednesday.
Addressing an Eid Millan Party in Mandi Bahauddin, the president said that it was part of terrorists policy to aggravate situation in Karachi to engage the state and undermine its efforts against war on terror.
Zardari announced that general elections would be free and fair and to be held in time, adding that electoral rolls were made in such a way that could prevent rigging.
We intend to stabilize Pakistan through resources wherever we found them and bring them here, we cannot follow philosophy of 5 years, we have to look beyond that, the president said.
He called for joint efforts to serve the country, adding that governments rivals also conceded the parliament was going to complete its tenure.
We didnt work for a single party instead we worked for Pakistan, we will prosper if Pakistan will, we will drown if Pakistan sinks, he added.
The president recalled that he spent his youth days in the jails of Punjab.
Punjab police arrest five suspected militants, avert terror bid
By Web DeskPublished: November 10, 2012
Punjab police arrest five suspected militants, avert terror bid – The Express Tribune
LAHORE: Punjab Police arrested five suspected militants, who were allegedly planning a terror attack, from Alfalah Town in Lahore on Saturday, Express News reported.
The police and security agencies conducted a search operation on Friday night, in which five suspected militants along with five women and two children were apprehended, while hand grenades and arms were recovered from their possession. A map of the house of former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, situated in DHA Lahore, was also found, sources further revealed to The Express Tribune.
The hand grenades were handed to the Bomb Disposal Squad and were defused.
A member of this terrorist network detained in Islamabad had told authorities that his cohorts were hiding in Alfalah Town, sources familiar with the matter revealed while talking to The Express Tribune.
According to neighbours and eyewitness reports, heavy firing started around 3 am and lasted for about an hour inside and outside the Baig House in Alfalah Town, followed by a series of dialogues that led to the surrender of the suspected terrorists.
All twelve residents of Baig House were shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.
Nine alleged militants who were released on bail from various jails of Punjab in September are believed to be planning attacks against rival sects in Moharram, warns a report of an intelligence agency forwarded to the IG Police Punjab
If I say things against Taliban who will save my workers? Says 'Brave Khan'
Live with Talat on Express News [Imran Khan Exclusive] – 9th October 2012
Shooting down drones will be a last resort: Imran Khan – The Express Tribune
Khan said that he does not condemn Taliban openly since it would make his local affiliates and supporters Taliban targets.
Days after leading hundreds of peace activists to the door steps of drone afflicted South Waziristan, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman said that shooting down drones attacking Pakistani areas would be an option of last resort, and that the key to peace in FATA lay with its armed tribal residents.
Speaking with Talat Hussain on Express News show Live with Talat on Tuesday evening, Khan said that the only way to bring peace to the troubled badlands of Pakistan was to visibly pull out of Americas war, call for an end to drone strikes and entrust the armed tribals to police their own areas.
Detailing that the objective of his march was to create peace by taking tribals on board. He stressed that true peace could only be achieved once the war of hearts and minds are won.
War on terror was a war against extremism, but it has only served to intensify extremism, he said.
The second objective of the march, Khan said, was to talk with tribals of agencies afflicted by drones and militancy. He said that there is a need to combat the perception that Pakistan is fighting Americas war which breeds hatred against the government. You need to get out of Amercias war, to remove the perception we are getting money from US, or take their orders, tell the tribals that the jihad has ended. Only then the local people will stand up against militants.
Offering a solution to militancy, he said the only way is to give tribals the responsibility to deal with the militants, and then gradually withdraw our forces and exit US war.
Stopping drones critical
Khan had lead hundreds of people in a march to South Waziristan over the weekend. While the peaceful protesters were stopped from entering the troubled valley, Khan reiterated that drones presented the greatest obstacle in achieving peace.
If drone attacks stop, we can say we are out of US war. Also when we say we have stopped taking US money, we can tell local tribals to reclaim their land, and tell them that the Jihad has ended and the armed tribals numbering 0.8 -0.9 million can then slowly reclaim their land, Khan argued.
However, when the host Talat Hussain argued that the US, nor the UN security council have listened to Pakistan governments appeals and arguments of the drones being counterproductive, and in all likelihood are to continue the attacks despite what Islamabad says, Khan said they would exhaust all forums to argue against the drones before opting for a last resort action.
We are starting an international petition which says drones are inhuman and violate human rights. We will go to New York and have a Tsunami outside the UN.
We will have American Pakistanis and US peace activists protesting drones and hand over the petition to the UN saying UN laws are being violated, Khan said of his immediate plans to tackle drones.We will also try to get Angelina Jolie there too, he said, before adding that his party, the PTI has also taken a legal recourse against drones by filing a suit with NGO Reprieveat.
With elections only five months away, Khan was asked what would he do against drones if he is voted into power, the cricketer-turned-politician said that the day PTI comes into power, we will tell them [US] to stop drones, we are a sovereign, democratic country. Article 4 of the Constitution places responsibitly of Pakistan government that you cannot do anything to Pakistani citizens. You are making our war difficult for us. We take responsibility that there will be no terrorism from Pakistan, but you cannot dictate to us, nor will we take your money, but we will fight in our own way.
When pressed for a contingency plan of action, Khan said that they would adopt a step by step approach at convincing the US and the world at large to stop drones. If they [US] do not agree, we will go to the UN and the Security Council and highlight that this is a violation of our sovereignty We will try to convince them logically that the drones are not providing a solution, instead are causing the disease to spread apart from being a violation of human rights, our air space and sovereignty and that it is not having the desired results.
When Hussain further pressed that if in the event the international community does not display sympathy for Pakistan, what would Khan do?
If that does not stop them, then Imran Khan will do what Imran Khan needs to do, I will order the PAF to shoot down the drones.
When asked that the PTI chief was ready to plunge Pakistan into a war with the US and NATO, Khan said that he is ready for war but that he would defend the people, defend them till the end.
Shooting down drones will be a last resort, because I cannot allow our people to be killed, he added.
Condemns Malala attack, but not Taliban
Khan, whose less than critical view of Taliban has earned him the moniker Taliban Khan, condemned the day-time attack on the teenage peace activist Malala Yousufzai in Swat.
However, when he was asked why did he not condemn the Taliban who had claimed responsibility for the attack, Khan defended his decision not to be so candid.
We have local affiliates and supporters. Sure I can give big statements against the Taliban, but that would make them [supporters] Taliban targets, said the PTI chief.
Malala vs. Vanilla
Masud Alam | 18th October, 2012
Malala vs. Vanilla | DAWN.COM
There is a period in everyones life when I becomes the hero; talks, walks, thinks and feels like one; lives a heros life wholly or partly in ones head.
Teens, 20s, thereabout, I see myself doing a lead role in the film. Hear my thoughts expressed by poets and artists. The world is created for a purpose, and that purpose is I. All that can be imagined is real, is achievable. And there is so much more that is still to be imagined! Life seems too short even to reckon all the possibilities out there, where is the time or the clue for making a choice? Deciding on one imagination and setting about making it real?
So the hero, lets imagination runs amok. Jagjit and Chitras mil ker judah huay toh na soya karein gey hum can evoke an emotional state of pain and suffering we will endure if we meet and separate, notwithstanding the fact that theres no we; and I have no curiosity about the double chance of meeting and separating. And yet I have wept at ek doosray ki yaad mein roya karein gey hum. Its not the power of lyrics which is lazy poetry created for Dubais Indian mujra joints, to introduce to patrons late in the night, when desi men of all ages are suitably drunk, and wish for stupid things that remind them of their days of living like a hero.
It is the power of imagination of the hero. Imagination is what makes I the hero, for as long as it lasts. And not everyones imagination dwells only on ghazals for the drunk. Some heroes dream of higher things, they recognise their aspirations, their ambitions, and refuse to accept or even acknowledge the limitations set by society. Rarely, the hero zeroes in on one area and builds his or her imagination within that sphere. They become artists, artisans, writers, scientists, teachers, doctors, social workers, politicians, sportspeople for life. They become heroes for life.
For the majority, the power of imagination leaves. As suddenly and inexplicably as it had arrived. Priorities change as reality hits home. Learning stops and yearning for regular income through regular means begins. Excitement is replaced by routine, zeal by caution, and exuberance by introspection. Another dreamer turns into a boring, conformist human being of the vanilla variety the world is teeming with. Another individual surrenders their uniqueness and becomes part of a homogenous mass seeking upward mobility. Some of them get the comforts they chase, some dont. Some are happy with a normal non-hero life; some hate it and hold it against everyone who is anyones hero.
Its the desire and drive to imagine when everyone elses imagination fails, that separates heroes from others.
When Swat was ruled by terrorists, its residents took the orders from an illegal FM broadcast and obeyed them in letter and spirit. If the terrorists said no school from tomorrow they kept their children home. If they said people could come out of homes, residents crowded the markets for grocery shopping. And when they were told that the headless bodies hung upside down in the town square are not to be removed; men, women and children went about their routines pretending not to see the terror installations. The religious leaders, the political leaders, the social and community leaders, they were all silent out of fear. They could see, they could think and feel, but they couldnt talk about it.
A little girl of 11 years or so chose to talk. She shared with Pakistanis and with the rest of the world, what it was like to live under Taliban rule. She didnt bring in religion, politics or even ethnicity in her blogs. She was a student eager to get education and she saw the terrorists as anti-education. She and her parents who must get credit for their courage in letting her speak out imagined the terrorists could be defeated; that education was a right that could not be taken away by gun-wielding thugs; that millions of Pakistanis would come out in support of this right. She imagined. That little girl was the only one who could. And that is what makes her a hero.
Malala Yusufzai is now 14, and fighting for her life after being shot by the Taliban. A nation that has not seen a hero in its lifetime was reluctant in accepting one as young as Malala, but the attack on her did the trick. Pakistanis spoke as one, in favour of education and against ignorance, in favour of Malala and against the Taliban, in favour of those who can imagine and against those who want barricades on imagination.
The girl in critical care has done us another favour. She has pulled the mask off the faces of those who are the enemies of education and imagination. She has forced the leaders of people to choose their place across the line. Everyone has had to condemn the act, under public pressure, but the partisan ones have given themselves away by attempting to side-track the issue with drones, Waziristan operation, funding sources and what not. They are all on record Fazlur Rehman, Sami Ul Haq, Munawwar Hasan, Imran Khan, Chaudhry Nisar and they have all spoken for their parties. So there. Half of our political class chooses to defend the terrorists who sprayed bullets at young girls, with the intention to kill. Giving us this realisation is what makes Malala a hero.
There are millions of children growing up in Pakistan without a healthy imagination. There are another few millions who have no access to education. Malala has given a voice to these millions and who knows, the historian may record that she gave a whole nation hope. And courage. And thats what makes Malala a hero. A hero for life.
Masud Alam is an Islamabad-based writer, columnist and journalism trainer. He can be reached at masudalam@yahoo.com
