Two killed, One injured in Quetta blast

QUETTA: At least two persons were killed while another injured in a bomb blast that took place in Sariab area of the provincial capital on Monday.

"Unknown men had placed explosive material in a garbage heap near Awami petroleum service station on Sariab road," police sources told this news agency.

The bomb exploded when three paper-picker boys tried to take something from the garbage heap. As a result, all the three sustained serious wounds, police said.

Two of the three wounded succumbed to their injuries on the way to hospital. The bodies and injured were shifted to Civil hospital. Law enforcement personnel rushed to the site and cordoned off the entire area to trace the suspects out. Further investigation was underway.

  Shame, shame and nothing but shame.

Human is the most superior amongst all whatever has been created by Allah Almighty which in turn demands that we as human beings should realize the same in the truest spirit and uphold and maintain the status so conferred on us rather than acting exactly in opposite direction and behaving otherwise.

I am referring to one of the news flashed on Monday 1st August, 2011 in The News saying that three paper-pickers were struck by a bomb placed on a heap of garbage in Quetta resulting in that all of them were shifted to hospital but despite the best efforts of the doctors, lives of two of them simply could not be saved and they died in hospital while the third one is struggling for his life. This I would like to discuss in some depth thrashing it out from different angles and perspectives. Death is death and once someone is gone is gone and he or she simply cannot come back whatsoever and even not one or few or many or rather all human beings in totality even cannot revive the one who died and therefore consequently the two paper-pickers under reference have finally shifted to their final and permanent abode and cannot join us back in this world.

Who planted such a dirty killing bomb is the first question to be asked to the person or the group responsible for planting it? Why the bomb was planted is the second question? Why garbage and not any other spot were planted with bomb is my third question? Who could have been killed at the garbage is my fourth question? What did someone achieve by killing none but paper-pickers is my fifth question?

A bomb is a bomb irrespective of its size, make, weight and shape meaning by that it is something destined to be destructive all the time, each time and each place whatever could be the circumstances and or surroundings which itself proves that that whosoever planted the bomb very well knew that it will create nothing but destruction and havoc. Definitely neither a ghost nor a robot did it and therefore it is carried out by a human like me and you but certainly he cannot be categorized as a human though in appearance he matches any other human. Had he been a normal gentle person then he should not have done so but he did proving that he is worst than even a beast. Planting a bomb needs technical skills and not anybody can do it even if someone wishes to venture so meaning by the person concerned must have been fully trained to do alike otherwise it was very much imminent that the device has exploded when being carried or planted. He or they, as the case may be, must be censured and damned to maximum.

What could be the aim to plant bomb? Ordinarily speaking any destructive activity including implanting bomb is done for a specific baneful destructive and noxious purpose and not otherwise. Needless to mention, bomb making and planting requires very special process and technique which is not taught at any ordinary technical institutes so it is not that easy to acquire the said technology unless one groups up with devils and anti human beings. But for what they invest money and time to acquire the destructive know-how? If the aim was retribution, which possibly could be the motivating force behind it, then who ignited them to touch to such ugly extreme?

Isn’t it completely nonsensical to plant a bomb at a garbage heap? Will any high value target ever go the garbage, never ever, rather high value targets do not pass through dirty lanes and filthy places so who could be killed at the garbage? It is very much common scene to see the creatures like dogs, cats, rats, flies and cockroach etc very happily going in brigades to the garbage to enjoy their free meals. Was the bomb planted for these food eaters? The other category that could be found at the garbage heaps are the poorly paid sanitary and cleaning workers who remove the filth to keep our surrounding clean and healthy. Could these poor be targeted to be killed by bomb, I seriously doubt? The third category could be those hungry and poverty stricken who scrounge garbage to find something valuable, howsoever minimal it may be, so that the same can be sold at second hand market to fetch at least a bread of loaf for self and his family for one of the three meals of a day if not more. I am sure none will oppose me if I pen that it is next to impossible for us to even stand for a minute at any garbage even if one has covered his nose what to talk of searching something from the stinking filth. Tears rolled down on my cheeks writing these lines but the vultures did not think even for a fraction of a second as to why and how they targeted none but already starving souls for none of their fault.

Now when the poorest of the poor, paper-pickers are struck with the dirty bomb what did the condemned human beings who planted the bomb earn from it? How did they succeed in their mean efforts? Did they achieve what they had aimed at? Alas! The poorest, three already struggling to upkeep their body and soul together, had been hit so very hard that eventually two of them lost their lives while their third companion is dangling between death and life in a hospital in Quetta.

Now comes the crunch and I wish I am wrong in my apprehensions. Who can answer and personify the persons or organizations looking after the families of the ill-fated three? I am not sure how much the poor paper-pickers were earning for their families but no denying the fact that they were not there to please themselves with the stinking smell of the filth but on the contra they were trying to get something for their families and now when they are gone (the third one is incapacitated to earn any more) their families are deprived of whatever meager help they were getting from them. Did our ministry of Zakat and Religious Affairs come to their rescue? Did Chief Minister, if not President and Prime Minister, take any notice if it or more correctly do they know of it? Did any NOG take cognizance of the situation? We should not forget that this is the holy month of Ramazan which obliges us sill the more to look after the needy rather than just enjoying very tempting iftar parties. I wish someone keeps posted about them and I will contribute whatever little possible.

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With my honest and solemn prayers.

Sincere Iqbal Hadi Zaidi / Kuwait.