Something wonderful happened last week: Pakistan’s daughter Malala came out of her coma. While a whole nation prayed for her well being, the apologists of TTP and the apologists of the empire were more concerned about milking the tragedy for their own opposite but equally evil ends. Both sides maliciously chose bits and pieces of Malala’s story of courage to strengthen their one-eyed narratives, working towards the common goal of throwing dust in our eyes to cover up their crimes. They flooded our minds with their dirty tricks of faming and defaming, creating a farcical debate to blur the clear context. Could it be that they are both in it together? Could it be that those who attacked her and those putting up the big show to save her are both working for the same greedy master?
Except to the apologists of these two varieties, and the co-conspirators in the game of violence that they apologise for, their either-or debate on militants and drones doesn’t make any sense. An overwhelming majority of Pakistanis are clear that both are unacceptable; the militants who think it is alright to target a schoolgirl for her views with the aim to kill her, as well as the drones that have already killed thousands of innocent civilians, including many school-going children like her. One cannot be used as a justification for the other. Yet, the hype and false propaganda generated by the one-eyed cheerleaders of both camps to further their well-funded agendas did exactly that, pushing the nation to pick sides; sides engraved on either side of the same counterfeit coin of violence.
Apologists of militancy dug up pictures of Malala with American officials and things she wrote on her blog to prove that she was an agent and to justify the barbaric attack on her. It is obvious that the brave and bright schoolgirl fell into the trap of the empire that thrives on building stars to further its hollow hypocritical agenda. How can we blame a schoolgirl, barely 11 when she was identified by the empire to be used as a pawn in its trillion-dollar games, for falling for their sophisticated antics? So many talented Pakistanis, much older than her, have fallen for their bait of recognition and awards. So many Pakistanis with promise and the potential to contribute positively to the society have been swallowed by NGOs designed and funded to reinforce the empire’s framework. Why blame Malala for something that happens every day?
In a country where everyone from the President to the Chief of the Army Staff have regular closed door meetings with American officials, where influential media celebrities and urban elites fall over one another to meet them, where leading professionals queue up for fellowships by foreign missions, where USAID is accepted as government policy and those in charge of our destiny allow all kinds of dubious projects to be financed by the international development brigade, what additional information could a well-meaning schoolgirl with a passion for education provide to Holbrooke? In a country where respected and upcoming journalists serve, and aspire to serve, over-rated and biased international news organisations, why malign Malala for agreeing to contribute to BBC?
On the other side, the hype created by those championing her cause was equally ridiculous. Madonna stripped on stage to pay homage to Malala, the injured schoolgirl’s name written in bold letters on the bare back of the glamour girl of the empire. World leaders who do not bat an eyelid as their armies bomb and kill thousands of innocent children, cried crocodile tears over her misfortune. UN Ambassador Angelina Jolie talked to her children about the incident and made sure that she told the whole world about it. The flag-waving champions of an assortment of empire-endorsed, and empire-funded, causes bayed for the blood of her attackers. Somehow, they all seemed convinced that this could only be done by launching a military operation in North Waziristan.
The apologists of the empire went into overdrive, pumping flaky emotions into the tragedy to push their donor-driven agendas. The Malala tragedy was shamelessly used by them, and by those pulling their strings with dollars, fellowships, consultancies and awards, to advocate the killing and displacement of thousands of children. Like blindfolded slaves, the cheerleaders parrot the fragmented perspective of the empire; screaming and shouting about isolated incidents staged for their benefit while turning a blind eye to the cruel context that they support. They are incensed by the TTP trying to impose its worldview through violence, but think it is alright for the US-led Nato to impose its worldview through the unmatched violence it perpetrates on poor countries. In essence, both camps support imposition of their hypocritical ideas through violence.
The two sides that together make up a very well-funded minority feed on each other’s excesses, creating debates and wars that serve the same master and bring misery to the rest of the world. There are reasons to believe that the empire had a hand in the attack on Malala to make her a martyr for their cause. History is replete with similar CIA operations that were used to manipulate populations in the US and targeted countries to start wars and change regimes. The linkages of CIA and its partners in the so-called civilised world with militants have been thoroughly exposed. We have seen the militant extremists being funded, armed and given logistical support by the champions of freedom and their stooges to destabilise one country in the Middle East after another. Clearly, their recipe is no different in Pakistan; remember Raymond Davis and the TTP contacts on his phone?
The war against religious extremism and militancy associated with it is our war, and we need to fight it on multiple fronts. It militates against Islamic values of enlightenment and respect for humanity. Whether it is the militants or the empire, nobody should be allowed to challenge the writ of the state and use violence to impose a barbaric social code that kills innocent people, blows up schools and targets brave children like Malala. We can win this war. But only when we understand that they are both our enemies.
 
The writer is a freelance columnist. Email: hazirjalees@hotmail.com