16 December to so many among us, may just be one blood-stained day marked on the calendar but to me every day to college is a reflection of December the 16th. The sense of loss takes its toll even more prominently in winters when I walk to college amidst the swiftly moving green and golden hues around. The memories of the blessed martyrs of Peshawar always seem to be around somehow lingering here and there with a mysterious gait – mysterious and not melancholy. For they’re alive and happy, not worthy of being mourned at, but to be viewed with awe by the people as ordinary as us.
From here begins an open letter to the dwellers of hell in black, who tried to drown the green of my country in red on one cursed December day – an open letter from a soul immersed in the greens and golds, to the Abu Jehels of 21st Century who were too ignorant to realize that crushing flowers can only spread fragrance and not fear and that after the flowers are crushed, it’s the scent that remains and the crusher is never again heard of.
To you, I say – I am not afraid. We are not afraid!
Yes, your hooliganism may interrupt my sleep at night by nightmares filled with guns and bullets, blood and bodies but the ecstatic smiles of our martyrs are enough to put me back to peace.
Your guns will never scare us from treading the path of knowledge but our resistance will ward off your ignorance. Your bullets that you intend to pass through our flesh will only pierce your rotten mindset of fear and darkness. The blood that you think you’ll soak us in, will turn to the ink with which the history of your failure will be written. Whichever weapon you use to destroy us, we’ll use it to rebuild ourselves. Your hateful chants will only cause us to sing the songs of love and peace. Because fear is an option we refuse to choose.
We choose to be that teacher of Army Public School who took bullets in the chest while safely sending her students out of dander’s reach. We choose to be the student who took the courage to stare you in the eye and curse you before being shot in the head. We choose to be the class prefect who risked his life while saving thirty others. We choose to learn from our martyrs and enemies!
Where our martyrs teach us how courage makes you immortal and our enemies tell the tale of hearts devoid of humanity who bear the wrath of people and God alike.
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