A walk towards peace

By Ali Suleman and Aishah Abubakr

How oft we snatched, your breath your food

How oft in our felicity we forgot your woes

Your daughters were raped, your sons were killed

Your blood we drank, your oil we spilled

Education we reserved all for ourselves

While in your land, ignorance dwelled

Your frolicsome breeze now smell of fire

Your open wounds now bleed and scream

Yet now the time of penitence has come

We, your sons want to stitch your wounds

Dry your tears, and sooth your pains

Animosity of years is hard to forget

But your heart is as vast as your land

Let the fountains of benevolence spring up again

Spring has come

Let flowers bloom

Let butterflies fly

Let sarangi spread its magic sound

Forgive us, forgive us

Oh beloved Balochistan!

--Aaishah Abubakr

Flowers in a bouquet are different from each other in size, shape, colour and pattern, yet all are equally important for the beauty of the bouquet. In the same way a nation is a combination of people belonging to different casts, creeds, religious beliefs, geographical locations and economic backgrounds. But the real beauty of this bunch lies in harmony. Despite the differences they may have with each other, the knot tying the bunch together should be strong enough to hold all the flowers in their proper positions. This knot is called the bond of unity. If this knot is weak, the existence of the bunch is endangered.

In our country, Pakistan, this knot has become very fragile over the years due to sectarian, ethnic, religious and social differences. The need of the hour is to strengthen the knot by forgetting all the differences, whatever they may be.

To emphasise the same need, a Peace Walk was arranged on the 26th of April, by the youth of Islamabad. Young people from various parts of the country came to Islamabad to participate in the walk. The purpose of the walk was to show our concern regarding the deteriorating conditions of Balochistan while the focus was on the recent killings of the three Baloch nationalist leaders, and its consequences in the province. This walk was to show our Baloch brothers that the youth of Pakistan is with them through every thick and thin.

The walk was primarily organised by the students, yet to our delight, young people belonging to every walk of life joined in and supported the cause. Celebrities, teachers, media persons and the youth belonging to the working class supported us with full zeal and zest. The most delightful part was when three labourers joined us. They walked with us holding the Pakistani flag, their faces glimmering with patriotism. Their enthusiasm was worth-remembering. This surely boosted up our moral. The walk that started from Chandni Chowk, ended at the Press Club, Islamabad.

The Idea

It all started from an Internet forum, where a discussion was going on regarding the recent killings of the three Baloch nationalist leaders. Mr Munir Ahmed, Mr Ghulam Muhammad Baloch and Mr Sher Muhammad were first kidnapped and then they were found dead on April 20, 2009. After that, a series of protests started in the province and it became difficult for the law enforcement agencies to tackle the situation. All the people who took part in that online discussion were of the opinion that Balochistan has always been dealt unfairly by the powers that be of our country.

It was then that someone argued that the time of just sitting back and discussing had gone and the time to take some action had come. After that, a series of discussions started on what should be the nature of the practical approach. There was a consensus that the youth could be the greatest unifying force in national unity and can bring the desired change.

It was decided that a protest should be held against the recent killings of the Baloch leaders to show solidarity with the Baloch people, and to give a message of love and peace to them.

It seemed highly impractical at that time, but the firm resolve of some participants helped making the impossible, possible, and in that way, the idea of one leads to the struggle of many.

The Struggle

The most tiring and time-consuming part was getting the No Objection Certificate from the authorities. On a very short notice, we had to fulfil the legalities, and what initially seemed to be a matter of a day or two, took a whole week. The second most tiring part was advertising the event. We tried all means of advertising we could. We distributed pamphlets among students, put them on notice boards of different institutes, talked and convinced people on the Internet. The third part was the preparations for the big day. We made 17 charts in just two days. Eight of them came all the way from Lahore, while nine were made the morning before the protest in Islamabad. The Pakistani flags and the big banner came from Peshawar. Special black bands were also prepared, which also came from Lahore.

The Big Day

The time of the walk was 6:30pm, but it started at 7pm. While walking, the exuberance of the participants was worth-mentioning. The combination of white and green throughout the walk was really worth seeing. Jotted down on charts were Faiz's and Faraz's couplets, like

Jab ghuli teri raahon mei shaam e sitam

Ham chalay aaye, laaye jahaan tak qadam

Lab pe harf e ghazal, dil mei qandeel e gham

Apna gham tha gavaahi teray husn ki

Daikh, qayam rahay is gavaahi pe ham

And

Naam hay kiska, daam hay kiska, aur yahaan sayyaad hay kaun?

The Pakistani flags were held as high as possible all the way by the holders. Fasi Zaka and Basit Subhani also attended the walk and expressed their concerns about the prevailing conditions in Balochistan.

Commenting on the event Fasi Zaka said, "I'm happy that students have an apolitical view on what's going on and the fact that they care this much that they have organised something on their own is to be appreciated. And most people who think that the youth are apathetic, this shows that this is not true."

When asked how he feels about the killings of the leaders, he said "Terrible!"

He said that they were brave men, and great Pakistanis, and helped in getting John Soleki released. "They thought of Pakistan. Their killing is obviously something that hurt this country," he said.

Discussing the importance of provincial harmony, Fasi said that some of the demands of the Baloch are 'entirely legitimate'.

Basit Subhani termed the walk as 'a very good initiative'. About provincial harmony, he said that it is very important, indeed. He said that the just demands of the Baloch should be accepted. "Our hearts ache when some injustice is done to anyone, be it Pathan, Punjabi, Baloch or Sindhi," he said.

Ending Note

It was a very enlightening experience for all of us, as it was our first one. It was one of the biggest days of our lives. Our aim was to tell our Baloch brothers that they are not alone in this time of suffering; we feel their pain.

We had done the little we could for the establishment of peace and harmony for our brethren. Now we hope our voices don't fall on deaf ears. And even if they do,

Ek tarz e taghaaful hay so wo un ko mubaarak

Ek arz e tamanna hay, so hum kartay rahain gay

--Faiz

Pakistan Zindabaad!

Organisers: Ali Suleman, Aaishah Abubakr, Abdullah Khan

[http://jang.com.pk/thenews/may2009-weekly/us-01-05-2009/p5.htm#1]