Editor,
This is a call to understand that war is not the solution, especially when it gravely involves and impacts innocent civilians on both sides of the border. Of course, we the citizens have every right to stand by our nations, but supporting violence will only serve the interest of terrorists who planned and planted the attack to create divides based on religious lines.
The attack was not just an act of terror – it was a calculated move to inflame tensions along religious and national lines. The only ones that shall benefit from a war are not the people but those who orchestrated the violence and the powerful elites who remain untouched by its devastation.
Yes, the terrorists who planned and carried out the heinous attacks must absolutely be found and brought to justice – there is no excuse for violence against innocent people – but justice does not require the indiscriminate punishment of entire communities. We are far beyond the days where civilian deaths can be dismissed as mere ‘collateral damage’. Or at least we should be.
From the safety of our homes and screens, it’s easy to call for war. But imagine if the missiles fell on us – our families, our neighbourhoods. Would we still be so quick to endorse this kind of destruction that the current events are taking place? Would we really endorse this destruction?
Our resources – our taxes – should be used to build our nation, not to destroy others. War is often the easiest propaganda tool, a convenient distraction for governments to shift the blame and hide failures. As Mahatma Gandhi rightly advocated, an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind. We must resist the temptation of retaliation that only deepens the sufferings.
Let us not use human lives as shields in ideological or political battles. Our media should be sources of truth and dialogue, not a megaphone for nationalistic fervour or violence. Unfortunately, much of it now seems to amplify rhetoric’s over reason, offering no space for a middle ground.
As citizens of this planet, we have the responsibility to think critically. Let us question what we are told and examine who truly profits from conflict. I urge my fellow human beings: do not follow any narrative blindly. Think. Question. Choose peace.
A citizen of my country