Minor students of religious seminaries in Lahore staged an impressive demonstration in front of Lahore Press Club to condemn the bombing by US-backed Afghan troops on a "Madarsah" during its annual function in Kunduz. They called the students as martyrs of Holy Quran.They demanded a fair investigation of Kunduz (Afghanistan) deadly attack by the US airstrike where scores of people including children were killed during a graduation ceremony in a madrassah. They further demanded an investigation at the international forum and the perpetrators be brought to the book who killed more than 150 Hafiz-e-Quran children. Participants strongly condemned the gory incident that occurred after the bombardment of the US gunship helicopters where dozens of innocent children were killed at a time when the ceremony of their ‘Dasttar Banddi’ was being held.
They said after the gruesome killings, there were heaps of children’s bodies. Demonstrators said the House strongly condemned and expressed its gloom over the incident. He said it was a shameful act done by US forces over which everybody would condemn.
Kunduz is well known to the Afghans as well as to rest of the world; it is located near Afghan Border with Tajikistan. Kunduz got fame when it was captured by the Taliban in September 2015 as first major blow to Afghan forces after withdrawal of US led NATO’s ISAF. Kunduz resurfaced to the news headlines when on October 3, 2015, US Air Force bombed the Kunduz Trauma Centre administered by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) or Doctors without Borders. Ruthless bombing resulted in the killings of over 42 people and injured dozens more. Afghans as well as the world shouted foul and as usual rhetoric authorities of US led and guided Afghan regime promised action against defaulters.
However, the biggest tale of the deaths of innocent Afghans has unfolded on Monday, April 2, when Afghan claimed air strike has resulted in the killings of over 150 innocent scholars, students and common citizens most of them being children under aging from 6 to 18 years. Afghan Government declared the bombing as an attack on the Taliban leadership whereas the eyewitnesses and the Taliban refute Afghan puppet claims. Relatives of the wounded told AFP at the hospital that the attack happened during a graduation ceremony at the madrasa in Dasht-e-Archi district, which is controlled by the Taliban and comprises of mostly Pashtun population.US Forces in Afghanistan, have delinked themselves from the bombing calling it an Afghan affair but then who provided details of the target to Afghan Forces?
Unfortunate part of the story is the response by the international community and the so called free world on this ruthless killing spree. Media and Human rights organization and even the Pashtun leadership of Afghanistan and Pakistan are either silent on the killings of Pashtun brethren or down playing it a collateral damage. The graduation ceremony was well advertised and the Kabul administration was in knowledge of the event. Taliban claim that Indian military persons may also have been onboard in Indian provided helicopters carrying out bombing. How on God’s earth could the Pashtun supporting Ashraf Ghani plan killing of innocent madrassa students? Where are those chanting the slogans of protecting the rights of Pashtuns from either side of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border? Is it not the case of killing Pashtuns from the so called Pashtun defenders of Afghanistan?
Monday’s Kunduz tragedy cannot be termed accidental. It is easy to link the chain of events unfolding in the world targeting Muslim youth. On March 30, 16 young Muslims were killed and over 1100 injured when Israeli forces opened fire on protesting Palestinians. Similarly India has killed more than 21 Kashmiris and injured over 100 in Indian Held Kashmir’s Shopian and Islamabad districts. Kunduz tragedy is worst of all where Afghan youth attending the ceremony were Huffaz- e-Quran. Killing spree of the Muslim youth by the Israeli, Indian and Afghan Allies of the US cannot be a coincident. Are these killings in and around the Easter aimed at conveying some message to the Muslims?
Taliban have vowed to avenge the killings of Kunduz. Kunduz tragedy will surely shake the peace offer by Ashraf Ghani and retaliation by the Taliban will aggravate the Afghan quagmire. The attack may have been the effort of the enemies of Afghans, who did not like the peace offer by President Ghani and may also be aimed at toppling already unpopular NUG.
Afghans are in pain because of the bombing on innocent children. Former President Hamid Karzai is at least brave enough to condemn the bombing as he realized Afghan pain and anguish. Afghans will resent the bombing and people will look to the Taliban to avenge the indiscriminate killings. Saner people in Afghanistan need to advise US leadership and their guided and trained Afghan Forces to be mindful of losing to the Taliban in the war for hearts and minds. Such events provide a unique moral boost to the Taliban who benefit heavily in terms of recruitment and sympathies. These sympathies often result in switching sides by Afghan soldiers as well in famous ‘Green on Blue’ and ‘Green on Green’ attcaks resulting in huge causalities.
It appears that Afghanistan just had its very own APS tragedy, difference being that more than a 150 children graduating for memorizing the Qur’an were killed not by terrorists but by the NATO and RAW backed Afghan Airforce. This is not war against terrorism, This is terrorism!
The attack on a mosque in broad daylight by the trio of NATO,NDS and RAW may have far reaching consequences and raises some major questions:
Was it a deliberate plan to scuttle the Afghan peace process, where blood of innocent children was shed to incite Afghan people and ensure that Taliban don’t sit on the negotiating table? Who gets benefit from prolonging conflict in Afghanistan? It’s India, US and their allies, NDS and some factions in the NUG who would like to fail Dr Ashraf Ghani
How can Taliban sit on a negotiating table when this table is painted in Afghan blood?
Is the visit of PM of Pakistan to Afghanistan to be the main target, this has happened before; whenever there is high profile exchange of leaders between Pakistan and Afghanistan, some major incident takes place on behest of powers, who don’t want permanent peace in Afghanistan.
Where are the liberals of Pakistan, why are they mum and why have they not condemned the trio of NATO, RAW and NDS in perpetuating this tragedy?
Where are the domestic and international champions of Human Rights, who would blame Pakistan on drop of a hat? Are the innocent kids of Kunduz, children of a lesser God?
What has Trump policy of high handedness given to Afghanistan; how much blood of Afghans is to be spilled to satisfy the powers that be?
Why was timing of this attack chosen, just before the upcoming visit of Pakistan’s Prime Minster? Is it to create a wedge between Pakistani and Afghan leadership? Who is the biggest beneficiary of this attack? India, NDS or NATO, or all of them?
