"Even in this pall of night, there is light", a Pakistani daily said
Tuesday after young men and women in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad armed
themselves with brooms, paint and brushes to clean up areas hit by
clashes following protests over an anti-Islam film.
An editorial
in the Dawn Tuesday said: "It was a political statement of much-needed
strength and symbolism. Where there are those bent upon destruction,
there are also others willing to do what they can to save the targets."
"Most
Pakistanis were still recovering from the shock of the fury displayed
on Friday by rioters, but some steadfast souls pulled themselves out of
despair and decided to do something proactive," it said.
The
clashes all over the country resulted in 23 people being killed and more
than 200 injured. In the three major cities of Karachi, Lahore and
Islamabad, young men and women went to the spots that had seen the worst
of the violence, and cleaned up.
"Armed with brooms and
dustpans, paint and brushes, they did what they could to return their
city to normalcy: sweep away the glass, repaint pickets, pick up spent
tear-gas shells and collect the stones that had been hurled.
"In
doing so, they sent out a strong message: not only were they not on the
side of those who resort to violence, they were active supporters of
the rule of law. Few in numbers though they were, they demonstrated to
all who saw them - including the demoralised police personnel who had
faced the wrath of the mobs - that even in this pall of night, there is
light," said the editorial.
The daily said that Pakistan
"desperately needs more such pro-activeness if it is to find a way to
stand fast and resist the rising tide of obscurantism and extremism".
"These
people's act should shame the nation's leaders, otherwise so adept at
manipulating large bands of their supporters; the call to clean up
localities laid to waste by the mobs could equally have come from them,
and been led by them and their workers," it said.
"It would have
been a powerful method of silent rebuke, and of interest in Pakistan's
welfare. Instead, what we have witnessed on the political front is
barely audible censure of even the violence itself, let alone anything
constructive," the daily added.
