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Forgotten heroes
Madre Millat Fatima Jinnah’s death anniversary on 9 July passed away without coverage she deserved, for her role as sister of Quaid-e-Azam, by private TV channels. Nations that do not revere and respect their heroes, end up in a crisis of identity, such as the one that Pakistan faces today.
The irony is that these TV channels cover death anniversaries of Indian and Pakistani actors, musicians etc, but perhaps either due to sheer lack of acquaintance with brief history of Pakistan’s freedom struggle, or captive to ratings etc., they disregard the real heroes, to whom we owe our freedom.
TV anchors should perform role of moderators. The analysts and presenters of political and current affairs Talk Shows, fail to understand that their primary role is to present news and information as it is. However, they have become opinion makers, or even lobbyists, when they themselves are unaware of the political history and the causes for derailing Jinnah’s vision of a modern democratic welfare state, with a constitution as supreme law.
Whatever maybe the reasons, they are involved in negativity, spreading despondency and sensationalism in the process, which has polarized our society, especially our youth.
Our society is plagued by violence and extremism, which has no place in Islam, or what motivated political struggle led by MAJ.
The death anniversaries of the pioneers of our freedom struggle are as follows,- Allama Iqbal (21 April 1938), Viqarul Mulk (27 January 1917), Liaquat Ali Khan (16 October 1951), Abdullah Haroon (27 April 1942) , Malik Barkat Ali (5 April 1946) , Maulana Zafar Ali Khan (27 November 1956), Qazi Issa (19 June 1976), Abdur Rab Nishtar (14 February 1958) and not to forget Jogendra Nath Mandal (5 October 1968) who was Jinnah’s choice as first Law Minister and many others.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore
Biden or Trump
The ongoing crisis in Palestine, marked by allegations of genocide comparable to Hitler’s atrocities against Jews, has drawn unprecedented global attention. Since October 2023, a campaign of mass killings has continued unabated, with little hope for resolution in sight.
Across the world, populations are united in condemning the brutality of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Even traditional allies like the United States and European nations, long supporters of Israel, are now demanding an end to Netanyahu’s aggression. Despite multiple resolutions in the Security Council, Netanyahu remains defiant, shielded by American vetoes.
President Biden’s vetoes of resolutions condemning Israeli atrocities underscore his prioritization of Israeli security over international consensus. Critics argue that American influence dominates the Security Council, allowing it to thwart resolutions against its allies, even when all other members support them. This suggests that U.S. interests override international justice, undermining the Council’s role in conflict resolution.
Despite global appeals, South Africa and Brazil have gone further by initiating cases against Netanyahu in the International Court of Justice. However, American interference has hindered enforcement of these decisions, highlighting a bias towards Israeli interests.
During the Gaza conflict, the U.S. provided Israel with dangerous weapons and India also supported Israel, which was acknowledged by a senior Israeli official. However, Arab countries failed to act decisively, perhaps fearing American reprisals. Iran, however, has played a crucial role by launching numerous missiles against Israel in response to its atrocities against Palestinians.
GULAB UMID
Turbat
