“True Witness”
It seems that all philosophies fall silent; reasons keep echoing. All advice becomes ineffective, the force of eloquence breaks. Those of the pulpit and the sanctuary are left speechless.
The turbans lose their elegance; the mountains shed tears like the cheeks of a crying child. The earth trembles: all wisdom becomes futile, and all plans are ruined. The world’s lovers hide in shame. People of honor and elegance conceal their faces.Streets turn into haunted houses, the scenery changes, and the weather shifts. The sky gazes in astonishment. Birds sitting on branches and animals dwelling in the forest abandon their paths.When madmen start dancing, insanity acquires wisdom, and then intellect feels ashamed. When love embraces its beloved, ecstatic cries grow louder, and the dance becomes even faster. When life searches for death, everything is before our eyes, but……but we cannot see; where is the vision, where is the light? Light and vision emerge from within, from the heart… and the heart, which we assume, is just a pumping machine. Where is the heart? No, it’s not the heart; it’s just a pump.Those whose hearts beat for jinn surpass their time. They raise ecstatic chants and enter the battlefield head-on, facing death. Death tries to hide from them in fear. These mad and crazy people… descend into the abyss of death and then emerge eternally alive, eternally alive!
وَلَاتَقُوۡلُوۡالِمَنۡ یُّقۡتَلُ فِیۡ سَبِیۡلِ اللّٰہِ اَمۡوَاتٌ ؕبَلۡ اَحۡیَآءٌ وَّلٰکِنۡ لَّاتَشۡعُرُوۡنَ۔وَلَنَبۡلُوَنَّکُمۡ بِشَیۡءٍ مِّنَ الۡخَوۡفِ وَالۡجُوۡعِ وَنَقۡصٍ مِّنَ الۡاَمۡوَالِ وَالۡاَنۡفُسِ وَالثَّمَرٰتِ ؕوَبَشِّرِالصّٰبِرِیۡنَ ۙ الَّذِیۡنَ اِذَاۤاَصَابَتۡہُمۡ مُّصِیۡبَۃٌ ۙ قَالُوۡۤااِنَّالِلّٰہِ وَاِنَّاۤاِلَیۡہِ رٰجِعُوۡنَ
Here are the eternal and valiant souls, whom even the Lord refrains from calling dead. They proclaim, ” And say not of those who are killed in the Way of Allah, “They are dead.” Nay, they are living, but you perceive (it) not. And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sabirun (the patient). Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: “Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.”
Never entertain such thoughts; beware of such notions!” They are alive, they live, and they receive sustenance. The living, the commanding ones—before the Lord, they have fulfilled their vows, upheld their commitments, and remained unwavering in their devotion. They are carefree in their prayers and praises, the mad and passionate ones. Where is the battlefield of love and devotion not established? Where does it not stand?
The cries resound across the land; there is a continuous festival. We are mere spectators, lamenters, and eulogizers. Now I sing, and there will be repetitions, and the melody will weigh heavy on delicate souls.This battle of love is before us. We do not see it in Gaza. Kashmir is continuously aflame. Now it is near our borders; it has been there for a year. But this is still a festival of willingly sacrificing their lives, whether they are labeled as traitors or terrorists.
And those mad enthusiasts who return, we are just spectators, lamenters, and eulogizers. If I sing now, there will be repetitions, and the melody will weigh heavy on delicate souls. This battle of love is before us. We do not see it in Gaza. Kashmir is continuously aflame. Now it is near our borders; it has been there for a year. But they are still relentlessly sacrificing their lives, whether they are labeled as traitors,or terrorists.
They are called humans, beings who have surrendered entirely to their Lord, the mysterious individuals, those who embrace death with a kiss to live eternally, those who offer their blood, their lives, those who fulfill their purpose – the caravan of Hussain! People of Ghazah! Peace be upon you; you have established an example of obedience. Obedience to God means passing through the test with one’s soul, and you have demonstrated that you are the servants of Allah.
People of Kashmir, you who gave your lives for your objectives! Peace be upon you; we all watched, and you achieved your goal. O purposeful people! Peace be upon you; O fortunate people! Peace be upon you. O those who choose to die in this transient world! Peace be upon you. Open your eyes! Even with open eyes, you struck bullseyes in the darkness.
Open your eyes, behold this heart-wrenching scene, smell the fragrance, which is the scent of martyrs. See, this is life—denial by everyone. No one can stop this caravan of truth. You had faith that you would not be afraid, that we are your advocates, but what about the promise you are the sincere advocate of Kashmiries and made to guard it?
What happened to those promises with Kashmiries that you would not only save them from the oppression of the oppressors but also raise the voice of justice on behalf of the just people of this world? You piled up all their promises at the feet of Donald Trump to save your power, without a moment of hesitation. But you saw that to save their power, you not only ignored the sacrifices of more than a hundred thousand Kashmiris but, in the same way, my Lord threw you out of power in a humiliating manner. And today, you are suffering the consequences of your actions behind the bars of prison.
To the United Nations, the OIC, the Arab League, and to the knowledgeable individuals of humanity, and to the scribes of imperialism: peace be upon you. Some of you, devoid of reason, fail to recognize the sacrifices, as Allah has deprived them of the ability to see and understand.
“Allah has set a seal upon their hearts, and upon their hearing, and over their vision is a veil, and for them is a great punishment. And there are among them some who pretend to listen to you, but We have set veils upon their hearts so they understand it not, and deafness in their ears; if they see every one of the signs, they will not believe in them; to the point that when they come to you to argue with you, the disbelievers say: ‘These are nothing but tales of the ancients.'(Quran, Al-Baqarah: 7-8)
Although Allah has sworn by the pen, perhaps they are not yet aware of the sanctity of this pen. They do not perceive that your sacrifices have gone in vain. They attempt to draw comparisons with neighboring Iran to show how grateful their nation should be for being saved from the flames of war. However, they do not realize the ground realities and are trying to please someone with their arguments.
Iran has not been besieged from all sides; it stands on its own feet, and it is not financially dependent on Saudi Arabia. They have closed the Strait of Hormuz capability, but they do not require it now. They have managed to secure a deal with China and Afghanistan for oil, despite China being entangled in international sanctions, and China is willing to compete with these sanctions by enhancing its strength. However, the question remains, why do they say, “We are not slaves to anyone,” when asked about tolerating American pressure? Yet, they couldn’t provide an answer!
Iran is also subject to international sanctions, but on the day Afghanistan, without caring about these sanctions, made deals with Iran for oil and gas to meet its needs and establish its autonomy. The very next day, Bilawal Bhutto, as the Foreign Minister, rushed to the White House for breakfast with the Pharaoh of time Jo Biden, because he, his father Asif Zardari and party leadership believe that the name of the next Prime Minister of Pakistan will come from here. But remember that the region is undergoing a change of system, and it has been decided that they, as global merchants who are busy in preparing to plunder our assets, will also drown, along with their local agents.
Isaac Darr, who used to lash out against the IMF before entering in Pakistan, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who used to draw lines on his nose in front of the IMF, now, while voicing Allah’s anger about interest, has put the nation in the shackles of slavery after the first installment of a 9-month Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) loan with heavy conditions.
When Imran Khan’s government was trying to get the IMF’s conditions approved in the assembly, I had, at that time, shouted that the State Bank should not be handed over to the IMF. In response, not only was I sternly warned, but also prevented from publishing my columns in newspapers. However, Allah’s power proved stronger, as Pakistan’s newspapers’ total circulation is much less than the number of readers on my Bittertruth website. You tried to shut down my website several times, and for a short period, you succeeded. But your foolish actions gave my columns a new lease of life, and the number of readers increased significantly.
However, you appointed the IMF nominee “Jaffar” as the Governor of the State Bank, and when power slipped from your hands, you saw that the IMF’s conditions were openly violated. By leaving behind a trail of challenges for the incoming government, you created a storm of difficulties for Pakistan as well. But we are forgetting that, as global merchants, you have ensnared us in the trap of these loans, and now they will achieve their goals after which centuries of slavery will be our fate.
But it’s amazing how you bear the burden, that you do not bring writers who gave you timely and useful advice, but later confessed their mistake through the influence of their friends, which is even more heinous because you have proven that you only speak out to please your friends. This is an unacceptable response!
Do you know, have you ever thought, why an elephant shakes off the grass in its trunk? It does so to ensure there are no ants in it. The elephant knows that if an ant crawls into its trunk, it goes into the elephant’s brain and keeps biting it, causing great discomfort. In the end, the elephant breaks the ant’s back with its powerful trunk.
They want to perceive the lions of Gaza and Kashmir as ants. They want to believe that these ants will crawl into their elephant-sized brains and keep biting until they break the elephants’ back. Yes, they have finally realized this, and now, they are sending this message to their neighbors. Where they are not only facing the colonization of the world but also the shade of the custodians of the holy sanctuaries.
But in their arrogance, they have failed to learn any lesson. They think their deceit and their feasts in golden and silver utensils will lead them to victory over their vile objectives. However, it won’t be that easy. History cannot be turned by mere tricks. The true testimony of the land of Afghanistan is enough for those who have determined to resist; life… with dignity and envy-worthy life.
Gaza resident Mahmood, while separating his seven-month-old lionhearted child from his bosom when lowering him into the grave, was raising his voice and saying to his Lord that this was the last penny that had been sacrificed in Your path. I have benefited from Your blessings for seven months, and, O my Lord, make him my provision for the Hereafter.
An elderly woman, Fatima, was proudly saying that I have abandoned all the members of my family for the sake of the path and now, I am eagerly waiting to meet You. Ahmed, in the meantime, says that I tell my children every night this story: We are not the ones who die, we are coming out of the trap of temporary life. My life of dignity and success is waiting for me. Whenever a bomb goes off near my house, I start dancing. My only daughter, who has witnessed the destruction of my house and the dead bodies of her mother and brothers, now enjoys it as if it’s a game.
“O you who consider death as a spectacle! Salutations to you. You have proven with your determination that there is no movement in your resolve and determination. Today, you stand strong like an unbreakable wall, awaiting death. The moment when everyone has to be present, you too will present yourself in the form of small pieces of your bloodied corpses. The announcement of your salvation and success will be made when the angels raise their voices. At that time, in this world and the hereafter, your sacrifices will be acknowledged under your leadership. I swear by my Lord that He never goes against His promise.”
“O prisoners of this world! Those who bow down in the desire for a disgraceful world, behold, this is life!
O people of oppressed states, those who worship senseless idols, behold, this is life!
Greetings to you, people of Gaza and Kashmir! The dawn breaking through the blood of martyrs, behold, this revolution doesn’t stop.
See, it doesn’t falter even when eyes are gouged out. You must make a last effort to save your neighborhoods… they won’t survive! I swear by the Kaaba, nothing will be left. Look, even our National peot Baba Iqbal is saying the same:
“The upscale neighborhoods of wealthy individuals are under the threat of earthquakes, while the homeless are free from this worry.”
“O residents of the camps! Salutations to you. In your legacy, the Kashmiri youth who have given the slogan ‘Kashmir will become Pakistan,’ Late Syed Ali Gilani, who endured the hardships of jail, Asia Andrabi, who raised her voice against oppression, Yasin Malik, and all the other freedom fighters of Kashmir – Salutations to you.
O admirers of the world! If you can save, then save. Nothing will be left. No one will remain except His name. My Lord is the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence.”