WRITTEN BY A CAGED BIRD!!
Pakistan is under siege. The whole country has become a large prison. There is an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. People are scared, even to think aloud. Everyone feels insecure, even in the security of their four walls. Sanctity of homes is being violated with impunity and vengeance. A reign of terror has descended. The atmosphere is so thick with tension that you can cut it with the knife.

You have indeed succeeded in spreading fear and terrorising the people with the naked use of overwhelming force. But you have not succeeded in crushing the will and soul of the people of Pakistan. They are indeed very quiet. But let it be known that they are seething with anger. Their hearts are convulsing with uncontrollable rage This rage is directed at you. Ominously, this is not a passing or transient phenomena. this is a massive mass of people from five years old to octogenarians. This feeling of indignation will last for decades. The insult and ignominy, heaped on people of Pakistan, will neither be forgiven nor forgotten.

You have failed yourself. You have failed the people of Pakistan. 70 to 80% of Pakistanis consider you outrightly responsible for this situation . They have lost faith in you. They have no trust left in you. You have not done yourself and the country any favours by your actions . Your crude and brutal attempt to use nationalism and patriotism to beat the people into submission, has totally failed.People have refused to believe in you.What a huge loss this is?Your massive propaganda blitzkrieg has miserably failed. All your attempts to obfuscate truth and create a parallel reality has fallen flat on its face.

You have tried to block and voice of the people by using force . They flatly refuse to believe this nonsense. Many have seen it so often before. You have lost. You have declared war on 160 million Pakistani people. Violence used against young men and women is unheard and unseen. You are trying to break their will. You are cowards. You have launched a savage assault and on the unarmed young men and women. You are mercilessly torturing our young boys and girls . You will have to answer for all these crimes against humanity. You are complicit in denying the people of Pakistan, their alienable right, to choose their representatives.

People of Pakistan have contemptuously refused to accept your one-sided narrative. You have subverted truth and have created something which did not exist. You have monopolised the love for the country. These are old tactics which have been used unsuccessfully before. Every day that passes , will bring you closer to defeat People are standing behind the last man, who is standing like an unbreakable rock.He has got an indomitable will and almost superhuman capacity to persevere and counterattack. You did not need to come face-to-face with the people of Pakistan. This has been an extremely unwise thing to do. Now Pakistan will pay the price for this stupidity. And it will be purely your doing.

The nation is watching the last man standing with a baited breath . They are proud of him. Bruised, battered though and totally besieged, he has refused to surrender. Pakistanis love him for that. They are in no mood to desert him at any cost. They are impatiently waiting for the right moment, to vent their feelings, which demand a forceful expression. This expression will find its way in a peaceful manner. You can delay the inevitable but not indefinitely. One wishes, that you had your hand at the pulse of people and understand, what an ordinary Pakistani is going through. Pakistan is in deep agony.

The singing of the caged birds is a message of hope and of power of self expression. The song is heard in the distant hills, leading others to hear, and acknowledge the sorrow and longing for freedom. Countless millions of Pakistanis are singing through their pursed lips, passing the message , from heart to heart. It is finding resonance in the fellow citizens. You will only ignore it at your peril.

جو دل کا راز بے آہ و فغاں کہنا ہی پڑتا ہے
تو پھر اپنے قفس کو آشیاں کہنا ہی پڑتا ہے
تجھے اے طائرِ شاخِ نشیمن کیا خبر اس کی
کبھی صیاد کو بھی باغباں کہنا ہی پڑتا ہے
زبانوں پر دلوں کی بات جب ہم لا نہیں سکتے
جفا کو پھر وفا کی داستاں کہنا ہی پڑتا ہے
بہ فیضِ مصلحت ایسا بھی ہوتا ہے زمانے میں
کہ رہزن کو امیرِ کارواں کہنا ہی پڑتا ہے

اشعار جگن ناتھ آزاد کے ہیں۔