Recently Lahore was one of the casualties of a resurgent terrorist wave, comprising 10 suicides bombing within a week, across the country. Much has been written about the tragedy.

Yet, little about where it all starts. A frivolous observation perhaps but an element seems to starkly standout; gradually eroding values and humanity of the average person. Let us take the causal relationship of what transpired in Lahore.

The attack was apparently targeted towards a protest taking place at Charring Cross by pharmacists; concerned about stricter regulation and stiffer penalties for supply of spurious drugs.

Apart from the procession the nature of the protest entailed a complete shutdown of all pharmacies: a mode of protest certainly not helpful for those in urgent need of medicines. That was that, and then came those on the lowest rung of humanity.

For whom the loss of one’s own life and others hardly causes a wrinkle in their conscience. What leads to a mindset where another human life can be quashed with impunity? Again at the risk of sounding frivolous or rather facetious the ideas associated with utter disregard for other, an extremist mindset commences with much simpler and mundane framework.

Take for instance the recent attempts by certain segments of society, alarmingly an increasing number, to counter a very benign, yet appealing festive occasion -- Valentine’s Day.

Expressing ones love for someone is not necessarily bad. The counter celebration proposed was Haya Day. Granted this in itself does not mean much, yet these are the seeds which ultimately bloom into the fateful thinking leads to what we were unfortunate enough to witness last week. Talking to a rather educated and sensible, religiously inclined friend and putting the same query to him.

His answer was that why do we need to follow the West? In response I said that would imply a negation of all other days incepted in the West; Labour Day, Mother’s Day, Father’ Day and so on. His reply was -- ‘for us these days apply year around, i.e. for us it is mother’s day all year’. Agreed but what harm in expressing these yearlong pent-up feelings tangibly? Conversely, does not Haya Day also apply continually? With deteriorating familial relationships in our society, why not have events which provide some respite and bonding.

Discussing this issue with an older and much wiser person, the case was laid-out as follows: the ‘intellectuals’ or self-proclaimed ‘liberals’ have managed to distance themselves sufficiently from religion for it to become an orphan.

Abandoned, this has allowed the orphan to seek-out the lap of extremist elements. Not a kidnapping, but a gradual nurturing of an alternate worldview, religious outlook and factious ideas.

Who should one blame? There is no poet in comparison to Ghalib for illustrating the profound as well as the mundane. What seems an apt comment on the today’s topic in terms of eroding humanity and withering values and the fact that we reap what we sow!

Bus kay dushwar hai har kam ka aasaan hona/Aadmi ko bhi muyassar nahi insan hona/Giryaa chai hai kharaabi mera kashyanay mai/Der-o-dewar say tapkay hai bayabaan hona. (Simplicity in each chore not easy it seems/For a person even to be a human being/A flood of tears, an enemy of my abode/Planted the seeds, the wilderness apparent).

Sidelight: On a lighter note travelling back from Islamabad to Lahore, as you cross the Gujranwala-Sheikhupura exit, there is a large, newly installed electronic signboard by the Motorway authorities.

The apparent purpose of the signage is to highlight various cautionary traffic slogans for motorists. Some of these are gems but the one that really took the cake was “Don’t dream otherwise you will scream.”

As far as nightmares go; Freddie Cougar take a back seat. Also, does this allude to driving or is it a general comment on the prevailing state of affairs in the country? — AM Lahori (AmLahori@gmail.com)

Published in Dawn, February 20th , 2017