Population Minister Chaudhry Shahbaz felt perplexed on Monday at the eerie silence of the country's intellectuals after the Lal Masjid tragedy. He observed that the President was grieved at the way things had turned out in the end.
The minister was speaking at the launch of Rukhsana Nazi's collection of smile poetry Kanvara nahin mila, introduced at a venue within 50 yards away from the Lal Masjid and G 6 area, that was shut up for eleven days in a tough curfew that was relaxed only yesterday (Sunday) morning.
He gave to credit to the government for creating an environment in which a woman poet, Ruskhsana Nazi had written composed rather bold limerick to bring out frivolities of the male population.
The poet could accomplish this feat because the government had empowered the women population and it was possible for them to attend creative work of the kind initiated by the poet.
At the meeting, the minister listened to the remorse in this grim tragedy from a number of speakers as well as those in the audience who went over the scars still fresh that was haunting conscience of the people.
The minister responded to the grief and pointedly searched for the reason for the haunting silence among the thinking class and intellectuals? The intellectuals should express themselves freely he suggested.
Speaker Zafar Bakhtiarvi, in-charge of the cultural wing of the ruling PML-Q party, reflecting on the incident, was not prepared to apportion blame or go into details as to which side was on the right, regretted the affair ending in tragedy. The end game had saddened the nation, he said.
However, many people were surprised at the controversial statement made by the host of the function, Ghazanfar Mehdi, who blamed a TV anchor who had rushed things. According to him, cleric Rasheed Ghazi had almost agreed to come out on the final day but according to Mehdi, the anchorperson asked a question, about the 'criminal elements. Mehdi thought the anchorperson should have waited until Rasheed Ghazi comes out, and the unwanted elements might have been arrested thereafter.
However, credit must be given to Ghazanfar to lift the gloom of the closeted area, until a few days ago. It was for the first time that a cultural programme was organised some where in the federal capital after the assault was launched on the Lal Masjid.
In fact, some people advised Rukhsana Nazi to put the book launch on hold, as she said in her thanksgiving remark, saying that her message was directed against the male population who were naïve in treatment of women, including the women of their household. Her intention was to inspire the dignity of family ties as well as respect of women.
According to well-known humour poet, Sarfaraz Shahid, not many women composed smile (humour) poetry in Urdu. For this reason, a number of commentators welcomed her debut among poets who wrote funny poetry.
According to Nasim Anwar, Comstech Advisor, one should always turn to humour writing at time of stress. Nasim said the public should not succumb to suffocation that every one felt in circumstances through which the country was passing, and every one should do some things as members of non-government individuals to improve it by doing some thing positive for the nation. In his opinion, Rukhsana Nazi had acted on a positive impulse, which should be welcomed. Minister of state Mushtaq Victor and others also spoke on the occasion.