Lahore's woes

Violence, at last, in Pakistan too … Lahore was a mess. Buildings of KFC, McDonalds, Telenor burnt(Telenor is sending a message to its mobile connection users that it is not in any way involved and deplores the cartoons or something like that). Burning tyres all across. My mother passed through flamed tyres four times, with the car performing feats of acrobatics throughout in trying to get over the tyres. There is a theory surfing through some people’s minds, my parents included, that the government has some secret role in it. That while maintaining a we-told-you-to-be-peaceful façade, they intentionally permitted such wide-scale disorder to tarnish the image of religious parties or to later declare a state of emergency by means of this newly found justification of uncontrollable conditions within Pakistan. All of which will of course allow Musharraf to strengthen his hold over power, stay on for a longer period, as the 2007 parliamentary elections are delayed. Unfortunately this is not too far-fetched to believe. Rulers in Pakistan’s past have always regarded such disturbances as a windfall to prolong their rule. Or created them if they are too desperate. Intelligence officials suspect it was started by some outlawed Islamic group who wanted to derail Musharraf or something. But if you live in Pakistan you cannot believe those intelligence officials. At least I am skeptical of them. They always have some agenda or another and might just be laying their own blame on someone else. I do however realize that there is too much anger inside the people against the government’s policies and its inner reforms … the price hikes and everything (if you earn Rs. 6000 ... $100... a month you'll be bothered by that ... and of course some people earn even less than that) and some religious party might have tried to use this to their advantage by fuelling up some people’s sentiments. I apologize for all these mights. I am afraid I can’t figure out who to believe. I wish I was out to see it for myself. But it wasn’t like everyone was out with the mission of setting fire to everything. My mother went through all the main centers and she says that it was pretty calm. Just people marching forward with placards and everything. That was of course before the actual rioting began. Whoever started it however, there should have been enough police deployed all around to counter any of the more aggressive elements in the crowd. But their wasn’t. The few that were there just looked on even as some people set fire to buildings and vehicles which means that the government of Punjab didn’t give them enough orders. How can they go on and accuse the religious parties then? The DIG Lahore says that the parties didn’t honour their commitment of being peaceful and that they couldn’t have enough police to deploy everywhere in the city. That is ridiculous of course. Where did all the police and rangers, which were stationed around the city yesterday and that are going to be deployed today, come from? Honestly! … I am sick of saying that I am sick of this blame game played by each and every one of our sectors but well … I have to say it since nobody lets go of it. You never know who and what to believe. All confused and muddled. And as they amuse themselves with this favourite game of theirs, people die. And their property is destroyed. Nobody is going to do anything against those bank guards who shot two people as they tried to enter the building. Okay they were trying to enter, perhaps with an intention to damage but why fire, just like that. They could have just shot in the air or something. Though even that might have returned and hurt someone. But they shouldn’t have killed. An 8 year-old was among those that were killed. But nobody has an ounce of care or concern. Everyone is wrestling against everyone. Just playing ‘enemy enemy’ like little children. And you want to shriek and shout at the top of your voice and go mad or something with all the misery and distress that happens but you know even that is not going to be a cure. There is a beautiful day outside. Mild, pleaseant sunshine and a light blue sky diffused with the whites of the clouds. And I don't want to talk of madness on a day like this. But I do wonder why the entire Pakistani population, excluding the leaders and those that are busy looting this country with their avaricious apetites, has not yet gone mad with so much to tackle with.Indifference on the part of those who are luckier than others and do not have to struggle every single day to to survive?

But perhaps they already have. And don't you think the government has already sequestered them away from themselves? Away from there Defences and Cantonments(do you wonder why the protests and the burnings never happen in those areas). Sorry I am rambling. Thats all I have left to get out this anger that rises up each day.

Lets just hope that the coming marches, if they are going to happen, are peaceful. The one in Karachi was completely nonviolent. Hope we have a standard to go by.