by Basil Andrews

Many blame the law-enforcers in the Sialkot episode. I can write a lot on what they should’ve done and not done but I won’t for the very reason that this event is part of the series of incidents that demonstrate what we humans are capable of in a charged environment. Once we know that there is no one to enforce the prescribed rules and when our minds are inflicted with fear and insecurity the next logical step our minds take in such an environment is to take matters into our own hands. It’s similar to the animal kingdom, our primitive instincts take over and we are forced to behave in ways that no one can imagine or comprehend. So I say, have we mentally transformed into animals?

Watching the video, my first reaction was even if the policemen weren’t doing anything what made the onlookers just stand there and watch? Has our society become immune to violence? I believe so; we no longer care about the value of human life. For example no one bothers about the people who are killed in the cross fire when violence erupts in Karachi. In the most recent spate of violence in the first week of August, about 76 innocent victims met the end of their lives for no reason. How many of us stop to think about these fatalities and some of who are the only sources of income for their families. Not just this, minority communities are mobbed as well (read Gojra ) – evidence of a growing trend in general violence. This is not good for the general mental health of the public including the fact that an entire generation will grow up in a hostile society impeding normal mental development in children.

The cold attitude to such events maybe due to the fact that the public knows that justice will not be served and any attempt to bring the issue to light will invite consequences. What is worrisome is the fact that Swat like episodes are highly probable and if the nation cannot come out against this violence then I think we have lost all touch with our souls.