Every day heart-wrenching pictures and videos from Ukraine surface. Whether you think of the on-going crisis as a geopolitical war or Russian protection policy, war is destructive, not only for a country’s infrastructure but also its citizens. Those from areas that have been mired in war for many years – like Pakistan’s tribal areas or Syria or Palestine – can attest to the long-lasting horrors of war. People are forced to leave their homes. Children who should be playing with toys are introduced to bombardments, shelling and the constant fear of death.
People who call for war either have no sense of humanity or are utterly unaware of the trauma it creates. While external wars may stop, the wars they cause within a person don’t. One hopes that those in power soon realise that the menace they unleash extends beyond people dying and buildings breaking. Even those who survive are not actually victors.
Naheed Hassan
Rawalpindi