ON Aug 12, 1948, when the country was gearing up to celebrate the first anniversary of its independence, the police and other forces opened fire on the non-violent and unarmed Khudai Khidmatgars who were peacefully protesting against the widespread detention of the Red Shirt activists. The Babrra massacre was the first incident in Pakistan involving civilian killings and injuries. The brutal incident had taken place on the order of the then chief minister.

The arrests were carried out when the provincial governor promulgated an ordinance authorising the government to detain any person without citing any reason and to confiscate his/her property.

When the protestors congregated at Babrra, the government ordered the police to open fire. Some bodies were thrown into the Kabul River nearby, and many of the wounded jumped into the river to save their lives as all the exit routes had been sealed off.

The women rushed to the ground carrying the Holy Quran on their heads to stop the forces, but to no avail. Instead of probing the incident justly to bring the perpetrators to the book, the state rewarded the personnel with medals, and announced that the victims would have to put up with the cost of the bullets used. I find it surprising that the brutalities of the Babrra incident never gets talked about. I wonder why.

Hidayat Nasar
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2021