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As Karachi burns evermore amidst amplifying discord, I wish to take inspiration from Tariq Jahan and his call for calm.

For readers unaware of Tariq Jahan, he is a British Pakistani who lost his youngest son to a hit-and-run murder during the recent UK riots. Hours after holding his dead son in his arms, the grief-stricken father provided hope for a peaceful resolution and urged his community to stay away from any reprisal attacks for the killing of his son Haroon and his friends Shahzad and Abdul Musawair. The three martyred men had stayed out late at night protecting their communities and people from looters and paid the ultimate price for their community and people.

Like in Karachi today, England was during the riots hostage to empty slogans and political posturing, however one voice stood out to soothe the nation. At a time of national strife and tension, Tariq Jahan spoke from the heart, his words single-handedly stopping the mindless rioting and violence that had engulfed England as shown in the video below:

As a British Pakistani man hailing from Gujranwala suffering the pain of the loss of his youngest son, Tariq Jahan’s call for calm was heeded as all were silenced. His grace, dignity and decency in appalling circumstances was beyond compare,

For me, Tariq Jahan, his words and his demeanour, captured the true Pakistani and Muslim. As a Pakistani, Tariq Jahan showcased the true Pakistani who is moderate and of the middle way. He also showed the true Islam of compassion and in doing so provided a counter-narrative that suggests that the West has lazily miscast us all by association as trigger-happy Muslims viewed only through the prism of faith and associated Muslims exclusively with issues of security.

I truly believe Tariq Jahan’s intervention will prove to be a defining moment for Pakistanis in the UK and elsewhere, many of whom are more patriotic and passionate about Pakistan than those who are born in the land of the pure. Moreover, it is hoped that Tariq Jahan’s wise words represent a watershed in how Muslims, Pakistan and Pakistanis are perceived in the world.

To end, I wish to praise Tariq Jahan and the families of the three martyred men for showing the best of Islam and Pakistaniat. For them the Holy Quran provides the ultimate strength in the following verse:

It is hoped that the example of Tariq Jahan can inspire his fellow Pakistanis to replace discord with harmony and learn that as a nation our salvation is in tolerating one another. As more blood is spilt in Karachi, let this post be a call for calm in Karachi and all of Pakistan.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 20th, 2011 @ 2:59 pm on the category Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.