June 15, 2013 would now be remembered forever now. Today the
legendary building that adorns our hundred rupee notes was
burnt and destroyed in a targeted terrorist attack. All the historical
photographs and furniture were destroyed and as always the militants escaped
unhurt. Today, not just a wood and brick building was destroyed, but also a
piece of Pakistan died with it too.
Quick history check: Ziarat residency was constructed
in 1892 with the idea of it becoming a sanatorium due to the presence of a
Juniper forest in the area in which it was constructed. Later on it was
converted into a summer residence of the Agent to the Governor General. But it
being the building where Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah spent his last days
is what it makes it truly historical. Nations all around the world, preserve
such places, securing them, guarding them from any calamity, manmade or
natural. But we failed to protect our revered founder’s second last earthly
residence. Jinnah, loved the peace and
quiet of Ziarat, as Fatima Jinnah in her book My Brother
informs us, but he also said that it was easier to breathe in Quetta rather
than Ziarat.
It was a majestic building, with so much history in it. Its
walls were privy to the musings of the ailing leader who was concerned about
the genocide that was happening along the border, worried about the future of
the fledgling new created state, worried about who would replace him in the
future and would he be able to keep the ship of Pakistan afloat. Its walls saw
many leaders arrive, begging for Jinnah’s guidance. Its walls saw Jinnah
fighting bravely against tuberculosis, unwilling to give up. The walls heard
everything, the walls saw everything, but we never will.
The very fact that the founder of the nation’s residence has
now been burnt down to the ground- destroyed in a militant attack- speaks
volumes about where we as a nation have come down to since 1948. It is not just
about the priceless archives, photos and Quaid’s furniture, it is not about the
loss of a tourist hotspot in Ziarat. It’s about preserving the memories of a
man who gave his all for our freedom. It is about the preserving the idea of
Pakistan, where every ethnicity and religious group is free to live and
practice its customs because this has nothing to do with the business of the
state. But when intolerance and tyranny seeps in, it destroys the ideals on
which this state was founded. When people are alienated with daily abductions,
killings, then you force them down the path of separatism that further leads
down towards terrorism. Burning down Ziarat Residency was a symbolic act of
terrorism. An act to show the world that they don’t want to be part of Pakistan
any more. By burning down Ziarat residency the terrorists have shown that the
idea of being part of Pakistan is abhorrent to them. The impact of this event
are enormous. How many people would go missing? How many pipelines would be
blown up? How many Punjabis professionals would be shot in the aftermath? Would
we approach this matter softly or come down harsh?
In a way, the burnt down hulk of Ziarat Residency is a
perfect metaphor for the state of Pakistan’s affairs. Pakistan lies burnt to
the ground with militancy, corruption, nepotism rife. May be in the future,
Ziarat residency might be restored, replicas of furniture installed. But would
we and our country be able to rise out of the ashes? That remains to be seen. I
hope that our authorities would take appropriate steps to ensure the security of
all places associated with Quaid e Azam.
For now, Dear Quaid, I am sorry, we couldn’t protect your
property.
No comments:
Post a Comment