Jawed Naqvi on the Pune attacks
The larger point of Naqvi’s article in the Dawn is about how statements made by officials about the attack sound like there has been no security breach because only Indians were killed. He starts with an interesting anecdote about security arrangements at Delhi airport:
CATCHING the once-a-week flight from Delhi to Karachi last Monday, I overheard a riveting exchange between the immigration officer who was handling my Indian passport and a worried man who rushed to speak to him in a hurry, I suspect, after seeing my bearded profile from a distance.
In my banterish way I engaged both of them in a conversation about their source of worry. Upon close inquiry the man who had rushed to the passport desk with doubts about my bona fides turned out to be a religious Muslim from Uttar Pradesh who hadn’t watched TV for decades. His job was to alert the officers about any Kashmiris going to Pakistan, or perhaps anywhere at all.
What or who they were looking for was their business and I didn’t ask beyond a point, but I did glean from the chat that the government of India hires semi-literate and obscurantist Muslims who don’t watch TV for religious reasons, to keep an eye on their fellow brethren who may have given up watching TV because Indian channels usually misrepresent the reality as distinct from what they know it to be.
The incident also gave me useful insights into at least some of the reasons for the poor intelligence and security that haunts the country as it claims its seat in the colosseum where the duel with terror is perennially on.
I agree with his larger point. It’s humiliating that the Indian government could insinuate that the Pune killings were not such a major event, as no foreigners were killed.
But this seems to be a tall claim too: “The Peshawar attack may be deemed to have been launched on a soft target because it picked on unarmed, unprepared, trusting people who became its victims. Should the Pakistan government be allowed to get away if it declared the incident did not constitute a breach of security because it involved a soft target? Such a government will not last too long with the people’s support.”
Really?
I am a bit weary these days of intellectual analyses of such events. I would also like to tell the columnist that alienation does not only haunt Muslims in India. Most Indians feel alienated, uncared for and often brutalised by the state.
A, why don’t you send him your response? I think there is a way, if you follow the link there might be an email address.
There is alienation amongst so many groups as you say. They have all to be engaged. And when they are engaged, it should not only be with certain elements within the community.
Thanks Uttara for pointing out the email suggestion. Yes, everyone in all kinds of groups need to be engaged, and not just the louder, or more aggressive ones.
I sometimes despair if there is such a thing as conflict resolution. And I am losing patience with those who take a sympathetic view of terrorism. All groups, communities have been agents of provocation at some point or the other. If we take that route, there will be no end to violence.
Do you think Naqvi’s being sympathetic to terrorists in this article?
I read it again. No, I don’t think he is being
sympathetic to the terrorists.
I made the point while I was thinking of conflict resolution. I was thinking aloud if indeed there can be a way towards non-violence when some key commentators and analysts do justify terrorism with the alienation factor. What I am trying to say is (while trying to make sense and get clarity out of sevral muddled, raging and conflicting thoughts) that many of those people who get killed by terrorists are also alienated.
After the Novemeber 2008 attacks in Mumbai, a famous author wrote that unless justice prevails, terrorism will continue. I profoundly disagree with that line of thinking. The average Indian doesn’t have justice in their lives, irrespective of creed, faith and milieu..
I do want to reiterate that I do want my countrymen and women and those from across the border to live peacefully. If love is not possible, perhaps respect for lives. Among those with whom I share my country I do want harmony (sounds a cliche’, doesn’t it?). It’s sad that this cliche’ is rare these days. May be at some point I will write something on the blog.
Do you have a link to that article on justice? Yes, do write something. I do believe that justice (in a broad sense) is the solution.
He regularly writes in pakistani English news paper Dawn. His articles are written only to keep one thing in mind that how he can critisize indian government , indian judiciary , indian
instutions. It seems that he has born to criticise india. His articles are always full of pessimism. Why he don’t write any thing about the fragile situation in Pakistan ? Because he is a coward. It is simple for him to earn money by sitting in pakistan and writting against India.
Hi Anjali
If you really want to send your feedback to Jawed sir, you can mail him at jawednaqvi@gmail.com its his mail address given after his all article written on Dawn.com.
And just to let you know, he is a regular columnist at Dawn, so you can read him there.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/news/columnists/
Hope it helps.
Thanks Nishant for this useful information and the email id!
Best wishes,
Anjali
Hi
Your’re welcome.
This may seem a little strange, but did you wrote to him and did he replied back? i mean i have been reading his columns for a while now but never wrote to him, so just curious. But, i will understand if you won’t like to revel it. No pressure.
Hi Nishant,
I have not had the chance to write to him. I was hoping to read his previous articles first.
Best wishes,
Anjali
I agree wholeheartedly with Anjali.