THIS month marks the singular death anniversary of 145 school soldiers. Three hundred Beacons were extinguished while they were busy in the war against illiteracy on the battlefield of the schoolhouse. They were blown up in one strike by the terrorists. This barbaric action of the terrorists has been stamped on the hearts of the entire nation forever. “We have killed all the children in the auditorium,” one of the attackers told his handler. “What do we do now?” he asked. “Wait for the army people and kill them all before blowing yourself up,” his handler ordered.
On December 16, 2014, the city of stories narrated a strange and true story (not a concocted one) that made the audience sob and cry for years to come. Adopting a strange agenda of terrorism, the terrorists not only faced the wilful deaths of themselves but also took the lives of others. This historic trend has prevailed all over Pakistan for the last many years, gripping the people in deep depression and dismay. Tragically enough, the terrorists are so-called Muslims who claim to implement true Islamization, not only in Pakistan but across the world.
Tragically, the terrorists do not take Quran-e-Hakeem as the perfect body of teachings and reduced it only to lyrical recitation (without understanding its meanings) the illiterate and ignorant suicide bombers take killing and suicide as visa to paradise. Our Ulema have not played a proper role in teachings of Islam; they have given the new generation only the be-serious about the rituals of the religion and not the wisdom of about the religion. Our religious leaders have made Quran only a study subject and market commodity. They have reduced divine commands only to the rituals consequently. Namaz is taken as corporal exercise, Roza, a struggle for dieting, Zakat, a show off and demonstration of wealth and Hajj, merely an excursion tour. They made the religion a matter of Hell and Heaven only.
If we peep deep and far off our social set up has developed aggression restlessness and extremism in our new generation. More over parents are responsible for all this climate of combat. They have absorbed themselves in worldly affairs of money minting. They have given no education and learning in the religion. They have detached their children and pushed them outside activities. The TV addicted children have no times for any physical activity which could teach them both the moral and spiritual code of behaviour. The stories and cartoons displayed the fabricated stories of heroism giving them the techniques of using the weapons to harm the people. Firstly, they use the toy weapons and them the real ones.
Parenting is not an easy job it is an uphill task if we take it as it is. Factually the un-Islamic system in the home and in the country has brought social discrepancy and inequality which nourished vindictive vision to the younger generation and they to get relief have been indulged in Casus-Beli Culture. Now undoubtedly the times have been changed globally which has brought a new spectrum to the youngsters and they endeavour to know about everything they go far off in searching all good and bad. William Shakespeare once said, there is nothing either good or bad but things make it so.
In token of paying a tribute to the school soldiers children all over the Pakistan are with black armed bands, mustered oil lamps and play cards on which the graphs of the weapons were drawn, which the terrorist brought with them to kill the school soldiers. They were chanting the slogans “Go Terrorism Go”.
—The writer is senior journalist, based in Germany.
