Horrific is an understatement to describe the day in Peshawar, Pakistan, where Taliban terrorists took over a military school, killing at least 141 people, most of whom were school children (the latest death toll is of 132 children, 9 teaching staff and 7 terrorist).
On the other side of the border, Indians are expressing their solidarity on Twitter, using the hashtag #IndiawithPakistan—which is now trending in India, as are the others related to the attack (#PeshawarAttack, #PakSchoolSiege).
Dec. 16 is remembered as a tragic date in India as well, as it’s the anniversary of the 2012 brutal gang rape and killing of a young woman, referred to as Nirbhaya, “fearless.” But Dec. 16 also marks the anniversary of the end of the Indo-Pak war of 1971.
Choice of #16Dec for #Peshawar terror attack is no coincidence. 43rd anniversary of #India‘s unprovoked invasion of #Pakistan #1971.
— Ahmed Quraishi (@AQpk) December 16, 2014
This makes the Indian expressions of solidarity even more meaningful.
U may call anti national but for now its time for #indiawithpakistan ….bacche to bacche hote hain na…
— ashutosh mishra (@ashu3page) December 16, 2014
#IndiawithPakistan Indian citizens, parents, kids & all, with their Pak counterparts. And against all career politicians feeding off hate.
— Vijay Sankaran (@vijaysankaran) December 16, 2014
#IndiawithPakistan
“If you kill one person you kill the whole humanity.”
Leave behind the politics of the past to guarantee a better future— Shruti:) (@SidForever123) December 16, 2014
While India and Pakistan politics are antagonistic, the same can’t necessarily be said of the citizens of the two countries: separated by the tragic partition of 1948, Indians and Pakistani share a deep connection, having been—until less than 70 years ago—the same people, and the public expressions are a heartwarming reminder of a human solidarity that goes beyond geopolitical tensions.
Only a few days ago, the two countries came together during the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony when Pakistani and Indian children rights activists, Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi, were awarded prizes.
Trending in India: #NobelPeacePrize #KailashSatyarthi #ComeTogetherIndia #Malala #Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/zoh8GZ8Cpq
— Saurabh Pandey (@ConsultSaurabh) October 10, 2014
The trending of #IndiawithPakistan follows of only a few hours the trending hashtag, #Illridewithyou, used to express solidarity to Muslim citizens during the Sidney siege. Twitter hashtags are perhaps the preferred tool to express solidarity and publicly take a stand in controversial issues: #JewsAndArabsRefuseToBeEnemies or #CrimingWhileWhite are other powerful examples.
#IndiawithPakistan shows that solidarity trumps political disputes
No comments:
Post a Comment