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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: As the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr approaches near, it is celebrated worldwide by Muslims in different forms and manifestations. This holy ritual indicates successful culmination of Ramadan-ul-Mubarak which brings about internal reform and self-correction. In Pakistan too, people celebrate Eid with great pomp and show by making delicious foods, wearing new clothes and attending to cultural activates. These are healthy activities and promote spirit of diversity. However, in Pakistan, people resort to unwarranted, wasteful and deadly aerial firing as a way of entertainment and show of masochism.
First, according to Islamic point of view, aerial firing is considered to be a spent-thrift and un-Islamic practice which is more cultural and parochial. Second, it can result in untoward incidents and casualties of human lives. Third, it creates noise and air pollution which damages the motherly nature.
Is there no legal and constitutional cover against this heinous, out-dated culture of testing lethal weapons randomly, or the state machinery lack implementation teeth? The silver lining lies in its holistic reforms. The government, civil society organizations, and law enforcement agencies must come up with measured, out-of-the-box strategies in a bid to discourage this lethal practice once and for all. The parliament must legislate against it, openly displaying weapons and illegal weapon industries. Ulama must use the power of the pulpit by condemning and declaring this trend un-Islamic and wasteful. Media must educate the people and bring awareness regarding its ill effects. The responsibility of every local police station must entail to ban aerial firing with the help of communities and students and punish the culprits irrespective of any political and social connections.
Hakimullah Wazir, Bannu
