Scattered Aurora

Another day, another bomb blast; this time around twin blasts in different places at the same time: one in model town and the other, as usual, on the Mall. In the annual graph of terrorist blasts in major cities in Pakistan, the red line goes up another notch. The news channels have a field day, with every channel giving a different number of casualties and injured in both the blasts. Not to worry, at least most of them will have the same number by the 9 o'clock news. Same is the case with how the blast occurred: most news channels reporting that an explosives-filled car smashed in to the buiding with two suicide bombers inside, while others reporting that there was no car and they were on foot or on bikes. But they all agree that these were definitely suicide bombings (no surprises there). The saddest part in all this violence and drama is the fact that not only can we just stem this tide which is rapidly enveloping our country, we have even stopped being shocked by these violent bombings. We have become so desensitized by all the violence and horror that its just another bomb blast for us. We surf the net and channels and gather all the facts and info yet we hardly spare a thought towards what the families of the victims must be going through. The number of deaths are not some innocent victims for us they are just meaningless statistics on our television screens. We are more interested in the blast and how it happened, rather than how many people died. Even the news channels only show how and where the bomb happened and throw in a little figure for the number of deaths before moving on to their correspondent who once again goes over how and where the bomb blast occurred.
I remember the day there was a blast near our college. We weren't even harmed or anything just scared as we heard the three blasts. I can still sense the panic and fear that had taken residence in the air of Kc that day. When i got home, I remember thinking to myself that somehow things are going to change for me now. Whenever i hear about another bomb blast i really won't be able to act like just another spectator but I will be able to feel the fear and the anguish as if i were there. But I was so wrong. I have gone back to being that just another spectator. I didnot even cringe at the destruction portrayed on the tv. And today i gained another insight on being a human. Who are we to call the suicide bombers inhumane and heartless when we are no less. We are just as cold-blooded, just as cruel, just as hard-hearted as they are. The only difference between us is that we don't go around blowing ourselves up with countless other people. Do we spare a thought for who the victims of those blasts were unless they are related to us? No, we don't. Surprisingly, I doubt the suicide bombers do either. Do we think about what the families of the victims and what they would be going through on losing one or many of their loved ones? No, we don't. Funnily enough, the suicide bombers don't either.
''Casualties'', such an aloof word for the deaths of all those innocent bystanders, doomed by circumstance and the perfect living, or maybe i should say dead, example of ''in the wrong place at the wrong time''. All that we do is throw this word and its subsequent number at our government and accuse them of making our country a fertile breeding ground for terrorism. I think now it's time to give more thought to the victims and their families and even for a minute observe silence in the memories of all those who have left us behind in the wake of these terrible bombings.