The Innocent Terrorist
06 September, 2005
By Ahmer Muzammil
For the past month, the Indian influenced media has been bombarding us with the sob stories of a terrorist who has been proven guilty in the court of law for bombing innocent civilians. This whole charade of Sarabjeet Singh's family, threatening to commit suicide if he is not pardoned, is nauseating. Here is a suggestion for them, if you don't like to see your brothers, sons, husbands hanged, then ask them not to come in our country and blow up bombs. Is that too much to ask?
It would be an utter travesty if this terrorist gets a presidential pardon. If the General has a new found compassion, then he should have given pardon to the people that were involved in the failed plot to assassinate him. This monster was involved in the killing of innocent Pakistanis and is a cold-blooded killer and a spy and under no circumstances should be given a pardon.
Why are we getting so subservient as a nation? I remember when I was a kid, we had nothing but for some ungodly reason we felt that we could take on the world. I am not advocating suicidal ventures but what's annoying is this mindset that all of a sudden we should treat India as a superior partner, PLEASE! Forgive me for being blunt but if Indians want to sort out the issues on the basis of fairness and as equals then "Khush Amdayd"(Welcome, me-casa su-casa) but if you all think you GOT THIS one the bag then, Think again!
Isn't it ironic that in Pakistan we are rounding up people on suspicion that they might have some association with terrorists that might or may not be involved in criminal activities? You can get arrested in Pakistan today if you are a member of a particular organization. It doesn't matter whether you have committed a crime or not, you are a culprit by association. On the other hand we have a terrorist who is proven in the court of law to have killed Pakistani citizens, violated the law of the land and is possibly a spy, still there is talk in the higher echelons to let him go free, because it will be a good-will gesture towards our new masters, the Indians. How many Good-will gestures will it take to stop the human rights violations in Kashmir? What will it take to get some good-will gestures from the other side of the fence? When would be a good time to assess the progress of this newly found love between India and Pakistan, have we truly made any headway? I think not! And the blame lies with the Indians, because from the start their strategy was to sweep the dirt underneath the rug and buy time. This was a golden opportunity for us to become Good neighbors but the insincerity and the usual "trying to be slick" attitude is going to result in the same hateful and envious atmosphere that the populous of both countries have been living in for ages. This atmosphere has been conducive for poverty and devastation in both countries. If there is honest advancement to resolve the contentious issues between the two countries, only then we can hope and pray that the resources that are being spent on arms and bombs and missile technology can hopefully be spent in the human development sector. God knows both the countries can use those resources.
Here is another angle that the Pakistani establishment should take in consideration if they are vaguely thinking about letting this killer go. If we free Sarabjeet Singh, then aren't we saying that our law enforcement agencies and our courts are incompetent and that they implicate innocent people? We are also setting a precedent that we will overlook your crime no matter how heinous it is, as long as you got the "right passport"(and that changes from time to time, however you can never go wrong with the Blue one). I am all for peace and friendship but let's not make a complete mockery of our judicial system by undermining it. If you do the crime you must do the time.
End.
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