The aftermath of ruin

The writer is a freelance columnist and former newspaper editor.

We are good at picking up the pieces and carrying on. We are also good at philanthropy and the application of soothing balms.In the aftermath of the Gulshan-e-Iqbal bombing, we saw people throng to hospitals to donate blood,until the blood banks overflowed. In the days that have followed, we have seen groups spring up spontaneously to support the families of the 70 or so who died and, in some cases, to set up long-term assistance programmes to help the victims – economically, emotionally or medically.

This is, of course, welcome. It falls in line with the overall pattern prevalent in the country. According to international rankings, Pakistan is at 34thplace on a list of 91 countries, rated on the basis of their generosity in giving to charity. A sum of somewhere around Rs200 billion is donated annually, making up around four to five percent of GDP.

This charity comes from many different class groups and helps support an essentially dysfunctional state. Its real value, beyond its short-term impact, is questionable, given that we have an extensive body of research that highlights that philanthropy cannot and does not lead to any real uplift – especially when it is dispersed and disorganised, with much of it going towards madressahs, which excel in collecting funds at community level.

Of course the aid being given out and the schemes being set up to keep the children in schools will help blast victims; we must hope it can be sustained. But we should alsolook at other aspects of the attack and what they teach us. The root causes of the violence need to be made a focus, to prevent more such tragedies in the future and dispel the fear that has permeated our society, with people making what is essentially an emotional decision by opting to stay away from parks and other public spaces.

This will obviously have no desirable effect over any period of time. There have also been comments on the political repercussions of what took place in Lahore, with arguments that the bombing gave a greater license to the military to move into a province that the Sharif-led government had ardently attempted to keep under its own control, and influence decision making there. This could have a huge significance for the future.

But let us look at the people, and at their lives. Hundreds have been affected by the blast and its aftermath (thousands, if we look at the indirect impact in the form of fear and growing terror). We need to find ways to address these issues too, along with the essential support extended to survivors. What we must do is find a way to avoid more such tragedies, deaths and emergency blood donations. How do we move towards this? The task is of course in many ways harder than that of acting after a traumatic event. It is more mundane, more tiresome and with few immediate rewards. But it is the most important challenge for all of us in so many ways.

We must find a way to root out the militant groups from society. Yes, the security apparatus is vital to this. However, it is also vital to remember that these groups are supported by the mindset that lurks in many parts of our country and encompasses much of our society. It is this mindset that causes people to donate to madressahs or even turn to religious organisations to hand out the money that they give for victims. We must remember that too many of these organisations promote a specific way of thinking, which adds to the schisms already existing in society. It is important to weaken and not strengthen them.

 To do so, we need to campaign for changes in school textbooks, in the media outlook, in the role of mosque imams and in the presence of madressahs everywhere on our streets. Only when these factors change can we hope to gradually regain our country and rescue it from the heinous grip of those who kill callously and then openly gloat over their victories with the cold claims of responsibility that almost invariably follow such attacks. Accomplishing this would be a hugely significant achievement, and one that society and the government need to work towards collectively.

There is also more to think about. The task of helping the families who have suffered must continue. At the same time, we should also think about why there is more of an outcry when people are killed in Lahore, rather than in towns across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or in the tribal belt. Are some people more valuable than others? Do some citizens deserve more than others? We need to think about these factors realistically and without any pretence. They will all have a say in the kind of country we mould for the future and whether we will be able to bring the country together as one in which terrorism is abhorred and there is a greater sense of togetherness among the people of all its regions.

The broader view is significant. There are thousands of families in the country that are the victims of militancy in many different ways, who deserve help. Only a minuscule percentage of those victims has received any. We must consider why this is the case in a nation that prides itself on its philanthropy and its willingness to give. Regardless of their ethnicity, their origins or the place where they live, people who have suffered because of militancy deserve help.

Ideally, it should come from the state. Since this may not be practically possible given the condition of the state and its immense limitations, perhaps the people need to step in. It is hugely rewarding to see the effort being made in Lahore. It is also important to make sure that this effort extends beyond the country’s largest province to the other parts, whenever it is required.

These are all matters to think about in some detail. The blast in Lahore on Easter, in which the majority of the victims were Muslims, has made a huge mark on minds. People are shaken and disturbed. This, of course, is a natural reaction. It is also heartening in some ways to see that we are still not totally desensitised and still have the ability to look at things from the point of view of those who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The vision, however, needs to be panned out. Sadly, it is true that more such events can take place anywhere in the country.

The goal that we set for ourselves must be to find ways to make our country a safer, more humane place. The fact that there is more unity amongst all institutions in going after militants is a step towards this. Ordinary citizens need to do their part by thinking carefully about each of their actions, which groups they support through their charity and what this will do for the future of the nation as a whole.

The emotion and the response that we have seen in Lahore shows we are a truly compassionate people. Social media sites have been filled up with appeals for help. But we also need to be a nation that thinks and can use its intellectual capacities to find a way out of the hole that we have dug ourselves into. Otherwise, compassion is insufficient.

Email: kamilahyat@hotmail.com