Sarmad Wali Muhammad
As the great Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “The voice of the people is the voice of God, but the silence of the people is the silence of the devil.” Today, we stand at the crossroads of history, where the silence of the people has become a deafening roar, echoing through the corridors of time. It is a silence that has allowed violence, abuse, and intolerance to reign supreme, leaving in its wake a trail of devastation and despair.
Silence, no doubt, is an ethical violence. People across the world have suffered greatly due to silence, as it leads us to face the consequences. When we remain silent, we invite injustices, inequalities, and tyrannies. If our voices against wrongdoing fall silent, violence rises, and we become slaves to tyrants.
Currently, we are faced with numerous problems. We are encountering various unethical and illegal obstacles. Violence, abuse, and social and religious intolerance by terrorist groups and other non-state actors, both local and foreign, have contributed to a culture of lawlessness. Terrorist violence and human rights abuses by non-state actors have contributed to human rights problems, with terrorist violence increasing during the year. Terrorist and cross-border militant attacks against civilians, soldiers, and police have caused hundreds of casualties. Military, police, and other law enforcement agencies have continued to carry out significant campaigns against such groups.
According to reports, up to 6,624 rape cases were registered in 2023, meaning that one woman was raped every 45 minutes. Faisalabad topped the list with 728 cases, followed by Lahore (721) and Sargodha (398). The situations in Balochistan and Sindh are also dire, where hundreds of people are being killed and tortured illegitimately.
It’s high time to overcome these hurdles. Therefore, we must collectively raise our voices against the social issues and the social evils.
