(In Memoriam, Abdul Sattar Edhi, 1928-2016)
Deep in the valley of thorns
A flower blossomed.
Rays from the banks of rivers
Flowing in the hearts all around
Rallied to absorb in its petals.
The evening came singing
Intoxicated by a fragrance yet unknown
The morning star dived to kiss
The eyebrows of abandoned newborns.
Shrieks and cries changed
Into smiles outshining the morning glow.
The beggar’s bowl brimmed with tears of joy
The hand that held it was a flower
Deep in the valley of thorns.
The touch of paralyzed mother’s washed hair
Sprinkled with pearly water drops
Infused this hand with a mind of its own
Sensitive like an angel
Vibrant like a hummingbird.
Beneath the stinking crust
It felt and recovered humanity
Of the dead, the wounded, the abandoned,
The cursed, the old, the young
The deaf, the dumb, the orphaned, the destitute.
When the earth convulsed under our feet
When the floods engulfed our hamlets
This hand held our worlds in its palm – protected.
Into the valley of thorns I travel
Mine feet hurt and bleed
There! On that acacia branch
A dove just sang her last song,
The winds blew her frail body
Into a dusty pit she prepared with her own claws.
Through and beyond the centuries and millennia to come
White pigeons will forever fly
From this acacia branch
In the direction of hurting hearts;
Even in the darkest of nights
A donated pair of eyes in the heaven
Will keep a watch over them.
M Ashraf Adeel
USA
Freedom in Kashmir
From many decades the people of Kashmir have been demanding the right of self determination. The Indian Army has been treating them brutally. Thousands of Kashmiris have sacrificed their lives in this struggle of independence. Now a new wind of freedom has blown across Indian-occupied Kashmir after the murder of freedom fighter Burhan Wani by the Indian Army. There have also been reports of security forces attacking hospitals and ambulances treating the wounded. This is a crime under international humanitarian law.
Kashmir is an integral part of Pakistan by culture, religion, cast, and tradition, and its final status must be determined by the people of Kashmir. The UN and organisations like the Human Rights Watch should take notice of the miserable situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir. Killing freedom fighters is not the solution. India must see the writing on the wall and resolve the Kashmir conflict. It is keeping India down and is a dead weight around its neck. India will not get UNSC or NSG membership unless it resolves issue with its neighbours.
Engr Mansoor Ahmed
Faisalabad