Calamities such as the brutal Peshawar attack are enough for a people to feel, think and mobilize towards preventing such calamities in the future. However, the Ummah has been made accustomed to such calamities that have been occurring regularly for many decades, in the absence of the Khilafah, without any sign of a strategy for prevention. Regular defiling of the honor of Muslim mothers and sisters, massacre of innocent children and elderly are written in the pages of history and perpetrated with the help of the very latest in technology. There is a black history of inhumanity and brutality, in which technology was designed specifically for this purpose and new methods of torture were discovered. Incidents like the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will remain a black spot on the face of humanity till the end of this world. The brutality of Russia in Chechnya and Serbia in Bosnia are vivid in memory. The horror of the prisons of Guantanamo, Abu Ghrayb and Bagram are known to the people. As is the evil violence by Buddhists against Muslims in Myanmar (Burma). The barrel bombs of Bashar al-Asad’s government unleash destruction upon the Muslims of Syria. Recent Muslim history is full of tragedies, Muslims are victims of extreme ruthlessness and violence, which can neither be excused nor forgotten.

In addition, there is a calamity which is conceptual in nature, that is, when humanity has been deprived of the correct solutions and the intellectual capability of the people is under attack. We are in an era where speaking truth is labeled as crime, when opposing brutal occupation is named terrorism and state terrorism is called a search for peace and justice. An era where the language is of repression and power, instead of persuasive, strong arguments. This indeed, is a great calamity. In fact, it is the mother of calamities. This is because the correct solution is not accessible, or access to it is not allowed, so this will only give birth to calamity after calamity, where people are slaughtered in huge numbers without protection or even hope of salvation.

No doubt incidents like the Peshawar Army Public School attack compel us to ponder. They compel a search for the real causes, so that effective strategies can be formulated, in order to prevent any recurrence. And if searching for truth is not subject to persecution and strong argument is preferred over mere expression of anger, then the truth of the matter can be reached easily. However, unfortunately this has not happened. The regime drowns out sincere debate with an armory of terms such as “National Interest,” “War on Terror” and “writ of state.” The reality of these terms is only false pledges or deliberate ambiguity, which are used at different occasions, to prevent the public arriving at the correct solution. The regime seeks to blur the reality, whilst claiming to search for the truth. The regime has created an atmosphere of chaos and fear, to dampen any sincere debate and prevent opposition to its implementation of laws to serve foreign powers. Moreover, turmoil occurs when the enemy, hides himself with cunning, attacking repeatedly whilst the prey cannot identify the attacker.

The actual enemy attacks repeatedly so that the prey does not have time to think and retaliates haphazardly, dazed and bemused. This is the destruction and tragedy in which the Muslims of Pakistan are residing today. In this chaos, the regime’s contradictions between its words and deeds have heightened. As if this were not enough, this contradiction is not because of the simplicity or foolishness, but it is deliberate trading with the Ummah’s blood. Aren’t the claims of war on terror strange, when on the other hand visas are issued to notorious organizations like the American CIA and Blackwater? They are not only allowed to move freely everywhere, equipped with the weapons and intelligence equipment in vehicles without number plates, they are also protected by the regime. Is this not a glaring contradiction? Immense calamities have struck us but instead of exposing those terrorists, time is being wasted in unnecessary work, such as forming committees and establishing consensus of opinion. Is this out of sincerity for the Muslims of Pakistan? How?!

Today, as always, wars are fought with cunning and planning. Specifically if we talk about America, the threat of attack is given “legitimacy” by international law, which can be bent to suit any aggression. Notably, this threat is leveled against the civilians and not her agents in authority. Moreover, America influences political, military and economic policies in the name of aid. It grooms agents in government. It employs vague terms such as war on terror, making peace, securing humanity. Yet, to date, even though no specific, clear definition of terrorism has been defined by the regime it has added yet another definition of “facilitator” of terrorism.

Some people think by lighting the candles they have fulfilled their responsibilities. They fall foul of the tricks of the enemy. They avoid taking his name, and curse those whom the enemy wants them to curse. In this manner the enemy extends its plans and our children remain victims of bloodshed. The regime nurtures such shallow responses through the media. Thus some of the media, by concealing the facts, out of fear of the regime, or by playing the role of agents and by indulging in unnecessary talk that is causing great loss of people. Thus the regime sets up a confusing environment in which rivers of blood flow on the one side and the real culprits are kept hidden and protected on the other. This is itself a crime. In such an atmosphere if someone tries to know the facts then he is mocked, discouraged by lame arguments and silenced. Ideally the true reality should have been pondered? Where is the problem? And how to resolve it?

In such troubling times, leaders come together to search for the solution seriously. However, when then the leaders are stooges the matters are never resolved. For this we have to clarify our viewpoints which will be the basis of our decision. So that no ambiguity remains but that’s not the situation here. If we want to move out from this swamp than we have to do the following tasks:

1. Clarify the definition of terrorism.

2. To whom does this definition refer? They should be exposed and given due punishments.

3. Is Jihad against occupying disbelievers terrorism? It should be explained and in context to this decision should be taken over situation in Afghanistan and the of war against terrorism

4. What should be the basis of our minor and major decisions?

5. Is calling for implementation of Islamic system and demanding our decisions on the basis of Holy Quran and Sunnah or to struggle for them should be considered terrorism or crime?

6. Is keeping the Muslims of Pakistan away from Islamic system not a crime?

7. Or is it so that Islam isn’t capable for implementation? Which should not be discussed?

8. Is this a war of Pakistan? Then why?

9. What is the purpose of making sensitive areas accessible to foreigners?

10. How foreign attackers or terrorists get inside the sensitive areas? When the condition of country is extra-ordinary?

11. Who is their facilitator?

If these points are put into consideration then we will be out of the dilemma within which Pakistan has found itself for decades.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by

Raghib Faateh