Some people wear their smile like a disguise. Those people who smile a lot, watch their eyes. I know 'cause I'm like that a lot. You think everything's ok, and it is . . . 'till it's not.
--- Ani Difranco
Honestly Speaking
Jun 28, 2011
Jun 20, 2011
Danger called Rangers
Back in 1992, I was introduced to the word Rangers with much remorse and hatred. The reason was the beginning of Operation Clean-Up. The locality where I grew up is a stronghold of Urdu speaking and that’s where it all began on the morning of June 19th, 1992.
I saw things from the eyes of an 8-year-old, who was waiting for a school bus at 6:20 am. I clearly remember shots of gunfire when my mother was helping me in getting dressed. Gunshots were not so common then and people could not comprehend the sound so we took it like any normal sound of tire burst. I and mother used to wait for my school bus with another older student. We got on our bus, waved goodbye, and took my favorite window seat. Around 5-7 minutes later my school bus entered hillside of North Nazimabad and since it was a summer morning, everyone and everything was clearly visible.
My school bus was stopped in the middle of the main road and asked to turn back as MQM was having it a first-ever public encounter with Rangers. The stoppers were some young guys who showed us a safe way to exit. Rangers were least bothered to spare a school bus. I didn’t see any one’s face then as it was covered with a red-checkered scarf but I certainly developed an emotion of gratitude. We went to our school anyways and came back home. I was full of stories for my father who was worried about the news of operation. Those guys were heroes!
I spent 4 years in the middle of operation where hundreds of boys were arrested, tortured, and killed for being Mahajir. Several were innocent, and some were guilty, but all were buried the same way. Mothers stopped their sons from attending morning prayers, sent them to other cities, or restrict their movements. Still many succumbed to Rangers with no choice.
Blackouts, days’ long strikes, shortage of food supplies, hiding in neighborhoods, were common incidences then. Living in apartments I had a better and closer look into all this. My mind is still bearing the memory of heavy boots running on the roof to chase and shoot young men, barging into houses, misbehaving with women. We never knew which night could be raid night. Next morning, every kid has a horror story to tell, especially the girl who lived next to TTC, North Nazimabad, this teacher's training center was chosen as Ranger's torture cell. My worst memory includes a man of early 20s who was going to offer Morning Prayer. He was stopped by Rangers, a little harassed, asked to turn around and run. He was shot dead within range of 3 feet probably
Everyone who has lived and experienced this operation first hand has his memory revived after Sarafarz Shah killing. Fortunately, this boy got killed under independent media. Operation Clean-Up had approx 15,000 killings which went unreported and unseen.
This is not the first time; an innocent lost his life at the hands of Rangers.
I saw things from the eyes of an 8-year-old, who was waiting for a school bus at 6:20 am. I clearly remember shots of gunfire when my mother was helping me in getting dressed. Gunshots were not so common then and people could not comprehend the sound so we took it like any normal sound of tire burst. I and mother used to wait for my school bus with another older student. We got on our bus, waved goodbye, and took my favorite window seat. Around 5-7 minutes later my school bus entered hillside of North Nazimabad and since it was a summer morning, everyone and everything was clearly visible.
My school bus was stopped in the middle of the main road and asked to turn back as MQM was having it a first-ever public encounter with Rangers. The stoppers were some young guys who showed us a safe way to exit. Rangers were least bothered to spare a school bus. I didn’t see any one’s face then as it was covered with a red-checkered scarf but I certainly developed an emotion of gratitude. We went to our school anyways and came back home. I was full of stories for my father who was worried about the news of operation. Those guys were heroes!
I spent 4 years in the middle of operation where hundreds of boys were arrested, tortured, and killed for being Mahajir. Several were innocent, and some were guilty, but all were buried the same way. Mothers stopped their sons from attending morning prayers, sent them to other cities, or restrict their movements. Still many succumbed to Rangers with no choice.
Blackouts, days’ long strikes, shortage of food supplies, hiding in neighborhoods, were common incidences then. Living in apartments I had a better and closer look into all this. My mind is still bearing the memory of heavy boots running on the roof to chase and shoot young men, barging into houses, misbehaving with women. We never knew which night could be raid night. Next morning, every kid has a horror story to tell, especially the girl who lived next to TTC, North Nazimabad, this teacher's training center was chosen as Ranger's torture cell. My worst memory includes a man of early 20s who was going to offer Morning Prayer. He was stopped by Rangers, a little harassed, asked to turn around and run. He was shot dead within range of 3 feet probably
Everyone who has lived and experienced this operation first hand has his memory revived after Sarafarz Shah killing. Fortunately, this boy got killed under independent media. Operation Clean-Up had approx 15,000 killings which went unreported and unseen.
This is not the first time; an innocent lost his life at the hands of Rangers.
