The boy who lived!

How do you define SHOCK? TRAUMA? According to The Merriam Webster dictionary, Shock is a mental or emotional disturbance that is sudden or violent. Healthline defines it as a state that leads to a physical shutdown. So is that it? Does that child reflect Shock? Trauma according to Dictionary.com is an experience that leads to psychological pain or injury.

Or is it Numbness? Indifference? Or a sign of acclimation to the terrifying environment in which he has been living? I honestly cannot tell. Omran!!! Sigh! How old do you think he would be? 3? 4? 5? Did he deserve this? Wiping blood and dust off his tiny hands onto the chair and that hollow expression!!! The blood on his innocent face, his dusty hair and oh those eyes!!! It is unforgettable and will numb the mind of any sane human. But he is not the only one. There are thousands of other humans, children, women and men suffering at the hands of these Terrorists, not just in Syria but all over the world. Who are they really? 

How do they do it? How do they justify themselves? Do they have no empathy? No soul? Why don't we do anything? Do WE have a soul? So many questions and absolutely no answers.

This child is a reminder of how much the people in Syria, in Palestine and and in Kashmir are suffering because of the ongoing conflicts. People who stay and those who try to migrate in search for some peace and solace almost always face the same fate i.e. More tragedy and death. According to reports, since the start of the war in Syria, the number of children who have died as a result of the conflict in the city Aleppo, where this particular attack took place, alone is about 4,500 and is mostly attributable to the imperialistic and selfish designs of the US.

People such as Donald Trump and his followers want to ban the entry of these refugees, these innocent children, into the country. Thus refusing them the right to a better life. But no one is  willing to take responsibility and whatever is being done to stop this war is not enough and is obviously causing more harm than good.

Will this child and others who manage to survive these atrocities will ever be able to lead normal lives? I don't think so. This trauma and pain is going to build up hatred and animosity in the boy's heart. He and others like him have only seen blood and death and if not all then at least some of them will want to seek vengeance and justice in one form or another. They know violence and they might eventually tread on the same path as that of the perpetrators of these crimes because these incidents will keep haunting them almost all their lives.

#Omran

Will this picture stir something positive? Some kind of a longterm impact? Will it lead to anything beyond this short term outrage?

Individuality is an ugly illusion. One cannot survive in isolation. People live in communities and helping only the ones WE feel deserve it is wrong. It is high time that we raise our voice, make our contributions and put a stop to this catastrophe. Helping everyone without prejudice, without any consideration to race, gender and religion is how we can save ourselves and thus save humanity and our future generations.

Starting small is the key. 

Pakistan and India, The best of Friends

The rivalry between Pakistan and india dates back to the Pre-Independence era. History is a testament to the fact that everytime Pakistan is at the brink of a crisis or is engaged in some kind of celebration, India tends to remind the Pakistanis of its ominous presence either by opening fire at the line of control or by some other theatrical stunt. 

The same happened on 14th August when while people in all provinces of Pakistan were celebrating the independence day, India revealed its nefarious mindset once again by starting an unprovoked firing session at the Line of Control. The Pakistan army obviously responded with full might and silenced the Indian armed forces. On recording protest towards this uncalled for firing and demanding a reason for it from the Indian DG, no proper response was obtained as is the norm of Indian forces and its government. 

This is nothing new as Indian forces have a proven record of behaving unjustly and irrationally towards Pakistan but since Pakistan as a part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has come into focus, the dislike and contempt of Indian officials towards Pakistan has been at its peak. 

Another obvious and never ending bone of contention between the two countries is the issue of kashmir, which unless is resolved, peace between the two will be impossible to achieve. India once again, instead of repenting on and apologising for its inhumane treatment of the Kashmiris fighting for their rights, has levelled allegations against Pakistan for engaging in extremist activities in and against India. These recent allegations were no doubt an attempt made by the Indian government to divert the attention of the world away from the atrocities committed by them against the Muslims in occupied Kashmir.

Funnily Narendra Modi in his statement ascribed responsibility of the incidents against the Kashmiris to ''some deviant and corrupt" people and not the government of India. What he needs to understand however is that a few perverted people without the support of an entire army cannot impose stringent rules on people and impose permanent curfews in the entire Kashmire valley. A few corrupt people can't cause more than 60 deaths in a single month coupled with causing injuries and permanent damage to hundreds of innocent Kashmiris by using the so called harmless Metal pellets.

Injuries caused to a Kashmiri boy by Metal pellets
Source: http://www.thequint.com/kashmir-after-burhan-wani/2016/07/13/wani-burhan-kashmir-violence-srinagar-metal-pellets-crowd-control-crpf-indian-army-stone-pelters-eye-surgery

Instead of abusing its power in Kashmir, if India fulfills the plebicite obligation imposed by the United Nation as a permanent solution to the plight of Kashmiris, Kashmir can become a gateway of friendship between the two countries. But neither of the two is willing to backdown and the ultimate sufferers remain the people of Kashmir whose resilient spirit is the only thing keeping them alive amidst such aggression.

We need to act as humans and if the Indians are not willing to back down, maybe the other side of the dispute should. Maybe that would  bring an end to the long enmity between the nations and most importantly put a stop to the miseries of the Kashmiris who have suffered enough already. 

CHILD ABDUCTION IN PAKISTAN: A Humanitarian Crisis

"A child is an uncut diamond"

(Austin O' Malley)

Children are little angels, innocent of any evil with no predujice and vices in their pure hearts. These flowers are unaware of the heinous intentions of the people surrounding them, engrossed in their own worlds, not hurting anyone, not inflicting pain on anyone and being nothing but a source of joy for all. 

However, the world has turned into such a dark and horrid place where people have lost their humanity altogether. Innocent children are now being targeted all over the world for various reasons such as to earn ransom by kidnapping them, to use them for beggary, to sell them to the highest of bidders for prostitution and such and/or to abduct and murder them for their body parts and organs. 

“It's the children the world almost breaks who grow up to save it.” 

(Frank Warren)

While cases of Child abduction and abuse is not that rare of an occurance in Pakistan, it has now risen to a level that is alarming to even the most ignorent of people. About 600 cases of child abduction have been reported in the past couple of months alone, mostly from different areas of Punjab, particularly Lahore. The police, however, is in denial claiming that the media is exaggerating the numbers which is obviously not true because a new kidnapping case emerges everyday with parents protesting sometimes by burning tires on the streets and complaining that the police and the government is unresponsive and not doing their best to find their kids.

The supreme court took notice and has called for senior police officers and IG police Punjab, Mushtaq Sukhera, to present a report on all the events involved. The opposition parties, such as Tehreek-e-insaf, have decided to raise the matter in the Punjab Assembly in order to find a solution to the burgeoning issue. The government has responded by announcing the introduction of a digital Child Abduction Alert System, that would have a developed database of missing children and will work by disseminating this gathered data to the relevant officials in order to make it easy for them to trace the children. Moreover, training programs for volunteers who will raise awareness and provide guidance to the public at large on how to avoid kidnappings will also be initiated by the government. The Prime Minister played his part by instructing concerned officials to increase sharing of intelligence and enhance cooperation between the federal and provincial units to combat the increasing trend of child abduction.

The question that comes up in the mind of all is if this is enough? Giving a statement, compiling reports and plans on introducing a new software, etc. are not going to bring a child back. The police is adamant and no efforts are being made to improve this department. The police are there to provide us protection but time and again they have failed to do so.  How can i person sleep peacefully at night or remain calm after dropping his kid at school in a country where everything is so unpredictable and where the police fails to take responsibility for protecting the citizens. What are they there for?

Right now, however, one thing that the parents can do is to teach their children about safety and personal protection and about being cautious without adding to their fears and scaring them. They should be taught to

• Avoid talking to strangers and accepting gifts from them
• Avoid going to any place with a stranger no matter how tempting he/she makes it seem. 
• To scream and run if someone tries to follow them or force them to come somewhere with them.
• Discuss it with you or any other trustworthy adult in case they feel scared and uneasy about something or someone
• Never leave the house without permission
• Never open the door for a stranger
• Know their home number, address and your contact number 

These tips should be remembered and taught to the children repeatedly as a mantra so that they remain cautious and remember what to do if a bad situation comes up.

Nothing can be more tragic for a parent than losing his child. In our society the unfortunate reality remains that people and government both are numb to other people's problem and woes. Lack of empathy and concern for the well being of others and active engagement in selfish pursuits is the norm in Pakistan. Only when a tragedy strikes close to home is when someone wakes up a little. Media alone can do nothing if the people themselves do not fight for their rights, safety and protection being one of the most fundamental ones. The need of the hour is to not ignore what is happening, to unite and to urge the government and all others involved to ensure the safe arrival of the lost ones, to prevent future incidents and punish the perpetrators in the severest way possible so as to set an example for anyone who dares to even think of playing with the lives of our children.