(first published on desicritic.org)
We all know that successive Pakistani Governments have used the anti-India rhetoric to foster hatred in the minds of generations of its citizens. Infact, we can say that whenever they needed to unite its people or divert their minds from the more important issues of roti, education, progress, etc, they have shouted, “Look, we have a cruel neighbour (India).”
To illustrate their point successive governments in Pakistan have always pointed at the alleged Human Rights Violations by Indian Armed Forces on the Moslem avaam of Kashmir. A Pakistani Judge, Dr. Javid Iqbal laments: “Pakistan is in the hands of a failed generation”. Aitzaz Ahsan, in his book, The Indus Saga, explains why. ‘Pakistanis have spent almost half a century of their existence without asking any questions.”
Prominent educator Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy had explained: ‘Most students have not learnt how to think; they cannot speak or write any language well, rarely read newspapers and cannot formulate a coherent argument or manage any significant creative expression. This generation of Pakistanis is intellectually handicapped.”
Kasab is a product of that anti-India rhetoric and an “intellectually handicapped” generation of Pakistan. We all know that Kasab has only been a foot-soldier in the Mumbai Terror Attacks, while the Masterminds behind the attacks are still scott-free in Pakistan. In my last article, I mentioned that we as a nation should not award the Death penalty to Kasab, but let him spend the rest of his life behind Indian prison bars. This is the right time that our Courts could play a major role in breaking the delusion of the new generation of Pakstanis – letting them know in a strongly-worded statement that we are a people dedicated to Peace and Compassion, as against the image portrayed to them by the Pakistani establishment.
If we award him the Death sentence, it would be a major victory for the anti- India terrorists. They will use Kasab’s death to play the Martyrdom placard. They will declare Kasab as a Martyr who went to foreign soil and embraced death, to recruit and inspire new batches of young Jihadi terrorists in their war against India. Kasab, for one, would be the most happiest person. He, along with his friends had come to this country totally brainwashed into giving up his life! He will smilingly embrace the gallows, knowing well that he will become an overnight hero and Martyr back in Pakistan! In killing him, we will be playing in to the tunes of the Jehadis and falling into their traps.
On the other hand, if we put him behind bars for life, with a life-imprisonment sentence, we will be giving this 21 years old youth an opportunity and time to re-think about his act of crime against humanity. In not killing him, we would be allowing him an opportunity to change his ideology. To my previous article, ‘Forgive Kasab’, I received many comments from Indian readers who were vying for Kasab’s head. But reading them I realized that they were not asking for Kasab’s death due to hatred. No! there was that truly-Indian Compassion somewhere within their hearts that would have forgiven Kasab, had there not been also a feeling of ‘helplessness and insecurity’ that the current generation of Indians feel in face of constant Terror attacks against India.
We feel totally let down by our Government, we are not sure if there would be a re-run of the Kandahar Hijack drama where our Government had to let go of seasoned terrorists from Indian jails, to bail out our hijacked citizens in return, in Afghanistan in the past. We are not sure, if the Indian Government can assure us completely that Kasab will not be let off, no matter what, if he is to serve life-imprisonment behind bars.
I, for one, am a 31 year old Hindu guy, an Indian citizen born and brought up in the city of Mumbai. I have been a victim of the trauma that Indians the world over, and particularly Mumbaikars were subjected to in those three days of Mumbai Terror Attacks. I have seen the trauma of my young students who watched aghast the unfolding drama on TV for three consecutive days!
My workplace was near the scene of terror, and we kept our Institute open during the attack to show that we cannot be stopped from going about our usual lives by Terrorists. The city was strife with rumours, and there was one instance wherein we had to shut down our shutters with the students inside when there were rumours of a terrorist having entered into our area. My initial personal response to the Mumbai Terror Attack was initially one of total disbelief, then a feeling of helplessness crept in, followed by a period of intense anger. I even advocated an attack on Pakistan in my period of trauma.
Then slowly after I attended a camp to come out of the trauma which thousands of Mumbaikars like myself were subjected to, I left my job and went for a 11-day Vipassana (meditation) camp in Igatpuri. And today I say – Forgive Kasab! For 4 simple reasons:
1) To send out a strong message to the citizens of Pakistan that we are not a cruel country, but a Compassionate and Civilized nation.
2) To stop Kasab from becoming an overnight hero. To stop letting the terrorist use Kasab’s death sentence for inspiring another batch of young Jehadi aspirants and recruits.
3) To show to the world and particularly the Pakistanis and Jehadis, that no matter how much we are pressurized into taking up their ways of barbarism, we will march further in our cause towards a more Civilized and Compassionate society and humanity, keeping true to the thousands of years old lofty and spiritual aspirations of this age-old Great country.
4) Sending a strong signal to the Terrorists and Jehadis, that India with her idealogies has survived thousands of years of attacks, only to survive by colouring the invaders in colours that were totally Indian, the colours of Compassion and fraternity – which we all Indians stand by! We, a great and ancient civilization don’t feel threatened by a 21 years old youth.
We will not allow Kasab to turn into a martyr! We will allow him time and the opportunity to change his ideology and reform, as befits our great Civilization.
-x-x-x-
(To my dear commentators at Desicritic:)
All I can hear in your tone of comments is anger and hatred, except a couple of people.
My sincere request to you all is that you come to terms with this rage within your heart, first thing. I have myself been a victim of Trauma which we all Mumbaikars experienced during the 3days Mumbai Terror Attack.
What happens in Trauma is that the sudden incident like The Mumbai Terror Attacks, where we feel threatened, unlocks all our suppressed anxieties and personal anger from personal life.
I suggest that all of you seething in anger out there, that you take time to think long-term and from the core of your heart.
I request you all to come to terms with your own anger within first and you will be able to rise above this purely ‘reactionary’ and personalized anger and think from a larger perspective.
Have patience. A great and responsible Country like ours cannot just act out of Reactions! We need to judiciously decide and think logically, without letting our sentiments over-ride Sense and Logic
Golden Boy
I yearn to write, to encompass
This year I decided to lay all my fears to rest and get an idol of Ganesha on Ganesh Chathurthi. As a child, I was always fascinated by this Hindu Elephant headed God. I watched with much fascination how a few of my neighbours would bring idols of Ganesha and sing in worship during the festival.
