By Hina Haroon
Pakistan and India have been in a state of war for many decades. It won’t be wrong if I say that we have been at war with them since 1947, either verbally or through armed conflict.
It is so unfortunate that for so many years, only innocent people have been dying in the name of power and the name of religion. I don’t understand how many lives it will take for both nations to realize that war is never a solution. What does one get from war? An award? Some appreciation? No. The only thing one gets is blood—the blood of innocent civilians, the blood of armed officers—and I say this for both sides. Life is life. It has nothing to do with whether you are Indian or Hindu, Pakistani or Muslim.
Although this is not the case with the people across the border, considering they have been celebrating the deaths, which rips my heart. I don’t understand where they get so much hatred for Pakistan and Pakistanis. It rips my heart to see the celebrities—the so-called educated people—celebrate the death of an innocent civilian. Loving your nation is one thing, but posting the name of an operation as Sindoor while writing that you are celebrating it? The death? That is inhumane. It is so unfortunate to witness words of hate and celebration of death from people who are supposed to spread messages of peace. Pakistan has always shown nothing but respect to these people, but I think it was also an eye-opener for us. At the end of the day, they are Indians, and they have the Modi mentality—or maybe they are just too scared to speak the truth. India as a nation says they have freedom of speech, they say their media is free—is it though?
The media, the celebrities, the people—they don’t have freedom. That’s what we have seen in the past week.
“Sindoor, which represents a happy material life of a Hindu woman, is now a byword for death and destruction, and thousands of widows in Indian society–what a crazy, inhuman act of a schizophrenic man indeed”
The current situation in the past week has scared us as a nation—it is frightening to see how a country recklessly attacks another country in the middle of the night, that too as revenge? For an attack they can’t even prove Pakistan was behind? And I believe this mentality will harm both nations, or maybe India more, considering the world has now seen what India did today, and what they have done in the past week.
To people outside Pakistan, especially across the border, I would like to shed some light—that the country you are blaming for terrorist attacks and calling a terrorist country has fought terrorism for years. For years, we have seen innocent people become victims of terrorist attacks. We have seen people losing their loved ones—Pakistan has dealt with it. We have faced it for years. We know how it feels—to lose people, to lose loved ones, to see the dead bodies of children, women, and men. Yet still, they blame us for the attacks. Pakistan mourns the killings in Kashmir, and we still stand by our words: we don’t want war—we want peace. We don’t want people to die in Pakistan or across the border.
One thing I can say is that I am so proud of my media channels. I am proud that they have tried their best to give the right information. I am proud that they have shown the world they have freedom of speech and that they are not afraid to speak the truth. Also, let’s thank India, because of them, we have seen that we are united as a nation. For the first time in years, no one is just Punjabi, Sindhi, Balochi, or Balti—we are Pakistanis. After years, we stand as one nation, without giving each other specific labels or saying “support this political party.”
Last but not least, I hope this ends soon. I hope both nations can work out their differences. I hope they have a peaceful dialogue. I hope no one loses their lives.
Sindoor, which represents a happy material life of a Hindu woman, is now a byword for death and destruction, and thousands of widows in Indian society–what a crazy, inhuman act of a schizophrenic man indeed.
Pakistan Zindabad!!
Note: Having a degree in Mass Communication, Hina Haroon is a promising young journalist who focuses on the socio-political landscape, women’s Empowerment, and Public Diplomacy.
