“Shots and videos of the Palestinian children crying out, mothers weeping, fathers sitting numb with pain, and teenagers unable to control their emotional outbursts, don’t seem to bother any of the political rulers of the day, as they sit in their comfort zones or call them ivory towers!”
Humra Quraishi*
First things first. From the latest news reports the war havoc is furthering… going beyond the Palestinian State, well into Lebanon. No stopping the destruction and deaths that war brings along, leaving scars for generations to come. And nobody out there to cry halt! Why is the so-called superpower America and its allies not intervening? Halt the devastation! They ought to host their Summits and Meets in and around the Gaza region or along the Lebanon borders so that they have a first-hand view of the genocide… Deaths and destruction all around. And see how the unfortunate survivors survive – without food, water, shelter, or medical aid. And also without immediate families as hundreds are orphaned and also displaced.
I’m keen and curious to know how the political rulers of the day can sleep well and not sit all too perturbed seeing the human killings! I wouldn’t call these men ‘leaders’ as they are not leading us anywhere close to survival! They are political rulers! They are all too blatantly political, hopping from one Summit to the next, in their best attires, with those synthetic frills to them all too intact. The in-between gaps are fitted with hollow speeches!
They do not take the trouble of visiting any of the war-torn countries to grasp the ground realities; how hundreds and thousands ruined because of the ongoing military might intruding into their lives. Shots and videos of the Palestinian children crying out, mothers weeping, fathers sitting numb with pain, and teenagers unable to control their emotional outbursts, don’t seem to bother any of the political rulers of the day, as they sit in their comfort zones or call them ivory towers! Don’t they realise their expansionist policies are expanding based on ruthless military power?
As I’m writing this column close to 2 October, Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti, so I have been wondering: What if Mahatma Gandhi was still in our midst? He would have travelled to the Palestinian State and Lebanon and met the survivors. He would have spent weeks or months there, amidst the affected… Carrying hope and aid, and trying to find a solution to end human suffering. Don’t overlook the fact that whenever communal violence and rioting hit the various regions and locales in our country, Mahatma Gandhi would undertake padayatra and camp at the riot-hit place and see to it that some semblance of peace and sense prevails.
Now, focusing on the latest shocking developments in our country. What’s all this talk of street vendors and eateries in Uttar Pradesh and also in Himachal Pradesh’s capital city, Shimla, to display their names, photographs, licenses, identification proof, and ID cards? Why?
Aren’t these tactics or term them build-ups for communal divides and stress to peak in the country? All these years we ate here and there, without bothering to even notice the eatery owner’s name or creed or caste but now with these government ploys there could be communal battles here too! Yes, even food sellers are not spared…in this day and age when basic survival gets difficult for them, here comes another of those hitting onslaughts!
All these moves are bound to cause havoc on the streets and roads and lanes and by-lanes of this country! Leading to not just street fights but even civil strife! Yes, after all, civil strife gets ignited by political lobbies and then spreads out… hitting the hapless man on the streets!
Was just reading news reports on this, with Urban Development Department minister Vikramaditya Singh in the Himachal government, quoted as saying that this decision was taken at a meeting with the Urban Development Department and Shimla Municipal Corporation, “… A lot of eatables like momos and noodles are being sold by food stalls… so the Food and Civil Supplies Department will ensure that the food being sold is hygienic.”
Hygienic food should be sold… definitely yes! But how do the caste and creed community and name of the seller or vendor play a role in the hygiene aspect of food? Why this move …why is this name displayed?
This seems a wrong move and ought to be halted now and immediately. If you recall the entire last month Shimla witnessed communal tension because of the Sanjauli mosque ‘controversy’, till it was somewhat revolved by the local Muslim population of Shimla when they told the Hindutva brigades that they would themselves pull down the so-called unauthorized section to the mosque. Though that matter seemed somewhat resolved the communal tension lingers on… After all, communal poisoning doesn’t get contained in one State or region. It’s bound to spread out, especially in an atmosphere ripe with communal elements. Ah, yes, not to overlook the communal policies and patterns and the go-ahead! Himachal Pradesh had never before seen Right-wing brigades so very defiant communal and fiercely vocal.
Getting to the ongoing elections in J&K, the question doing the rounds is this: What was the need for the government of the day to invite diplomats from foreign missions/countries to witness the ongoing elections in the State? Is it one of those moves to show that all’s going well in the State?
In this day and age, facts cannot be pushed under those dusty carpets; well, not for too long! The fact is Kashmiris are worried, more than fearful of speaking out. They are also aware that the Right-Wing political lot has unleashed political tactics in their midst and that accelerates their apprehensions.
—–
The post Deaths and destruction of war going beyond Palestine first appeared on Kashmir Times (Since 1954): Multi-media web news platform..
The post Deaths and destruction of war going beyond Palestine appeared first on Kashmir Times (Since 1954): Multi-media web news platform..