Collateral Damage

Witnessing the Terror coming very close to a very special brother…

In this Machinery world where pure friendship and sincerity are seldom found; this planet still carries some individuals who are pure and lure. I am very lucky in a sense that I have found such people made of gold in almost every sphere of life be it family, teachers, colleagues or mentors. I always missed absence of an elder brother to which I could share my things, problems and sometimes do Ladiyaan with him. Zeeshan Hasan Yousuf  being of such kind individual with whom an office colleague relationship started and soon he became a very sweet elder brother. And to date we have some great memories of past eight years. He was always there in times of need and helped each one of us with an extra step and made a respectable place in our hearts which will last forever. This elder brother of mine got a severe tragedy last month while the SP Farooq Aawaan escaped an attacked last week in Karachi.

I never wondered this could happen to him until the next morning (on Friday 26^th September, 2014) after attack I saw his facebook status which said:

“As i picked up my father and took my sister to a safer area in our house that lay destroyed by a devastating bomb blast ... doors, windows & glass lying on the floor, i could hear a family screaming in agony in front of our gate; And what i saw will sadly stay with me forever. A lady cradled a body in her arms, screaming at the top of her lungs, "no no kill me kill me kill me. I do not know who was that unfortunate man. Was it her husband, son perhaps? Will that lady find peace in her life again ? Or will she go through the rest of her life, avoiding life ? And why do they say no one died, that there were minimum casualties. Why do they lie? 
l am just GRATEFUL that lives of my dear sister Ayesha A.h. Yusuf and that of my father were spared. Shaper Mirza you left just two days ago, don't know what i would have done if anything had happened to you. Someone spared our lives  
And i know this now ... That many people are victims of terrorist & other heinous attacks all too often in this city. This evil, this carnage had been happening in this country for a long time. It just came home today 
I think ignorance is (not always) bliss.

THANK YOU Atif Naeem Baig sb and Rafat Phupa for making it to our house on foot to provide food and assurance. No words to thank you all. God bless.”

— at Defence Phase V…

It was shocking news for me and I called him straight away just to make sure if he and rest were alright. At first he could not recognize my voice and when I told him my name; he said “Sultan please I am stuck now; and I shall call you back in a few minutes”. Oh my Allah, his voice was shaky and disrupted. His focus was scattered and I felt if he was instructing some people about something. I was sitting stunned on the chair and then started telling a few close people regarding this incident.

Later on, when I had a chance to talk with him in detail. He told me “This blast happened in front of my house. Things are worst here, there is destruction spread all over the house. All the things made of glass including LCD are broken. Main gate is dislodged and I have just placed two security guards to safeguard my home”...”What next? Are you going to shift now?” I asked…”At least I am going to shift Abbu and Aysha to one of my relatives; as I can not leave them in such an open/unsafe condition and somehow I will manage myself here”…And I was thinking, when will be my turn???...”Bas yaar dua karo, ke ye mushkil waqt kat jaye kisi tarah” he requested me for prayers.

In the coming days, I just kept on thinking where will this all end. Things are such out of control in our country that almost all of us are affected in one way or the other. Nonetheless, every other day we keep on hearing Major incidents happening with our close acquaintances. Is there any end to all this???

To date, this beloved brother is trying to gather himself and recollect his house again. The destruction is heavy and he is trying to get help/compensation from government; running from post to pillar. But not yet getting any proper response from the government which is a very sad thing indeed. I would like to request media/resourceful people to take up his case (and many other such affected) to share the burden and add their bit to heal the stressed people.  I would specially like to request ARY news for taking up this case in helping a very dear brother who was helping and running for other people yesterday and nobody is listening to him today.