“Terrorism does not disappear with revenge tactics but through making justice and equality before the law a reality”—Asma Jahangir.
For ages, sane voices have been advocating tolerance, justice, and peaceful co-existence. And since ages, men have chosen to ignore them, fostering a culture of hatred, violence, and divisiveness in the human race. Barring a few countries, almost every other has become a victim of unrest and in today’s world, terrorism, both on a national scale and in isolated incidents which have become a routine and painful reality. Such acts tend to emanate toxic negative energies that have profound pulsating effects on not only the direct targets but to some degree, all the eight billion people around the world.
The different forms of negativity that include prejudices, revenge, wars, conspiracies, crimes, physical and mental abuse, oppression, immorality, etc. can be wiped out by just one positive energy—love or compassion (by whatever name one wishes to address it)—which is at the core of our very existence. Unfortunately, rather than propagating this virtue on a global scale, vested interests have always downplayed its beneficial characteristics. Thus, we see in the 1970s that slogans such as “make love, not war” were twisted to portray the hippy culture where it was attributed to free sex alone while its true nature got buried in the frenzy for control over distant lands and resources which meant mass killings and destruction.
No lessons were learned from the twentieth-century cataclysms of world wars, the much-sanctified holocaust, the ten-year Iraq-Iran war, the Kuwait invasion, the Russian inroads into Afghanistan, etc. Even the twenty-first century opened up with the horrendous September 11 attacks in 2001 that further lent to deteriorating the world’s law and order situation sending across multitudes of low vibrations that have grown over the first quarter of this century. One would have imagined a statelier, scientifically advanced, and better life for the millennials but alas, this just remained an unrealised dream.
The absence of compassion has made this earth a miserable planet that is suffering from innumerable ailments. Some would include one of the bloodiest Second Congo War (1998-2003) that saw the armies of many countries rampaging each other’s territories and women; the Syrian Civil War that dislocated four million peace-loving humans from their homes and razed beautiful cities like Aleppo to the ground; then the first genocide of the century was unleashed in the Darfur Conflict; USA gathered a “coalition of the willing” and launched an attack on Iraq on March 20, 2003 on the allegations of links between the Iraqi regime and al Qaeda as well as the presence in Iraq of weapons of mass destruction—both claims that proved false but not without mass killings and plunder.
These tragedies are occurring right under the nose of the United Nations Organisation, the flag bearer of unity and peace in the world, and even those well-off countries that could have been pivotal in putting an end to these calamities but have conveniently chosen to look the other side as if they are aliens and have no relationship with humanity.
Continuing with their violent spree, Afghanistan came into the fold of aggression at the hands of the USA within weeks of the September 11, 2001 attacks, for harbouring Osama bin Laden, leader of al-Qaeda that led to the killings of thousands of Afghans, Pakistanis, and troops of NATO-led coalition forces.
The war against Boko Haram in 2009 the Yemeni Civil War and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have destroyed many cities and left indelible scars on humanity. As if these were not enough, the Middle East crisis that broke out on October 7, 2023, has now taken a genocidal course for the Palestinians at the behest of Israel while heading towards a major confrontation with Iran and Lebanon supporting Palestine. The assassination of two major key players of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh and Saeed Attallah Ali has added fuel to the fire, escalating the already volatile situation.
These tragedies are occurring right under the nose of the United Nations Organisation, the flag bearer of unity and peace in the world, and even those well-off countries that could have been pivotal in putting an end to these calamities but have conveniently chosen to look the other side as if they are aliens and have no relationship with humanity. Perhaps the extra-terrestrial species would be more compassionate and not as pernicious as scientists believe.
The absence of love and justice has unbalanced the world’s economy because of this there have been constant struggles to gain power, suppress nations, and create justification for wars. Pope Francis believes, and perhaps rightly so when he said: “Human rights are not only violated by terrorism, repression or assassination but also by unfair economic structures that create huge inequalities”.
If every person were to represent a brick of love and reach out to each other, the earth would have been a fortified sanctuary for its denizens.
The secret to a more peaceful and just environment is love, and love alone. The ability to feel for another with the same passion as for oneself is the only means to establish heaven on earth. Those who say this is an impossibility need to raise their level of consciousness and start beholding the living with a sensitivity that is fundamental in developing sound relationships.
Pakistan too is passing through an extremely tumultuous phase of political and economic stability that is adversely affecting our image as well as our international relations. The killing of four Chinese nationals in the October 7, 2024 attack as claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), was preceded by earlier similar episodes. These incidents have led Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s external affairs minister to comment: “Terrorism is not something that is being conducted in dark corners of Pakistan. It’s done in broad daylight.”
Considering that Pakistan would soon be hosting the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Islamabad, with high-level Chinese delegates and expected first time in a decade, the Indian foreign minister, there is an urgent need to conduct talks with all kinds of protesting factions. If the Irish Liberation Army could ultimately suspend its terrorism after talks in 1998, why would not the BLA or the unhappy political stalwarts?
By infusing compassion rather than taking up arms, the possibility of a peaceful settlement would be far greater and more enduring.