Carnage in Sargodha

On April 2, a bloodcurdling incident took place in Sargodha. According to some media reports, a custodian of a shrine in the city killed 20 innocent people. It is a stark reminder of how ignorance is eating away at our social fabric. The heartless perpetrators of this inhumane crime felt no qualms of conscience and mowed down the innocent lives with impunity. This gruesome act shocked the country. Visiting the shrines of pious saints to seek a mental and spiritual satisfaction is a centuries-old tradition.

Even our highly educated and well-established politicians and bureaucrats visit shrines as they consider it a sacred and necessary duty to run their offices smoothly. The saints and the mystics preach love, peace, compassion, tolerance and forbearance. Their teachings are no less than a lighthouse for people. It is quite ironical that a spiritual place was turned into a cesspool of bloodshed. The local, provincial and federal law-enforcement agencies must work in a close collaboration to launch a foolproof crackdown on such miscreants who are a stigma on the face of the earth. Only concerted efforts on the part of the concerned authorities can eliminate such evil forces.

Muhammad Fayyaz

Mianwali