The Death of Bacha Khan’s Ahimsa

The followers of Bacha Khan have thrown the nonviolent theory of “ahimsa” into bin. Not only have abandoned centuries old Pakhtoon traditions and completely forgotten their party mentor’s theory of peaceful coexistence. Karachi gripped with the recent spate of target killings is helpless and its residents are looking at the three key players MQM, ANP and PPP. The bigger the stake the more terror these claimants of Karachi inflict on the urban dwellers. These groups consider it their divine right to avenge the killing of their ranks by inflicting death and misery on the poor Karachiites.  Every time a leader or worker of these parties is killed anarchy descends on the city. These burst of violence always claim many a precious lives and loss of property. The shopkeepers have no option than to pull down their shutters.  The bigger the personality the more Karachi has to suffer. However, it’s not alarming for a city which has become a city of mayhem.

The frightening and recent phenomenon of attacking commoners belonging to opposite ethnic communities has been an “attribute” of Mutahida Qaumi Movement lead by Altaf Hussain. This practice again on display soon after the assassination of Raza Haider, an MPA belonging to MQM. Scores of innocent people of Pakhtoon ethnicity were murdered. These were mostly laborers seeking a daily wage to make their ends meet. Similarly workers of ANP went berserk after the killing of its Sindh Salaar Ubaidullah Yousufzai and started terrorizing the people belonging to Urdu community. Ethnic and political terrorism is a concern, a big one, But not as big as the death of ahimsa – the trademark of Bacha Khan’s philosophy.

S. Hameed Sheikh works with a private TV channel in its dramatic productions department. He couldn’t attend his office on the following three days of Ubaidullah’s murder because he had to pass Banaras’s Bacha Khan Chauk to move to his office on I.I. Chundrigar Road. A resident of Ali Gargh adjacent to the Banaras Chauk S. Hameed Sheikh doesn’t want to be the target of bullets fired by unknown men. Although he belongs to the Urdu Speaking community he shares one main thing with ANP. Like the workers of Awami National Party his despise for MQM has always been on high degree. The young man with dark skin has always been admirer of Pukhtoon traditions. But Pukhtoons being the protectors of people lives have now become a life threat for the people like S Hameed Sheikh.  Not all of them ofcourse but the ones lead astray by the ANP through its politics of hate towards other communities.

As a matter of fact, Pukhtoons are known for never attacking their worst enemies whenever they have trespassed, accidentally or deliberately, through their area. The great nation Pukhtoons have never killed noncombatants but ANP’s Sindh chapter largely comprised of Land grabbers have forgotten their history or are more inspired from the indiscriminate killings of vulnerable Pukhtoon in Mujahir dominated areas by MQM.

The supporters of ANP have made it impossible for the Urdu speaking community to pass through Banaras, Kati Pahari, Qasba and other Pukhtoon dominated areas.   Just hours after the inhuman murder of ANP leader, News Channels flashed the footage showing loaded worker of ANP firing to scare the people. Who dared to pass through?