One of the most revered and loved voices of Pakistan was silenced yesterday, another victim of Karachi’s violent nature. Renowned Qawwal Amjad Sabri was loved by all who knew him and heard his voice, and as hundreds gather at his hour in grief and respect across the nation, millions are shocked and saddened by the brutal killing.
Sabri was shot dead in Karachi Wednesday afternoon, after unknown assailants fired at his vehicle. It is a wonder of how many murders we will condemn - how many times brutality will break our hearts. This is the third such incident this week in Karachi. On Monday, an Ahmadi doctor was killed, on Tuesday the son of the Chief Justice of Sindh was kidnapped and Wednesday saw bullets shot at Sabri. Whatever nascent peace had been created in Karachi in the wake of the Rangers operation was only a mirage.
By all reports and accounts, Amjad Sabri was a kind and humble man. His message was of love and spiritual peace, and it is appalling to know that there are those who would wish him ill or be offended by him. While we wait to find out why he was killed, the fear gripping the hearts of Pakistanis is that we are losing the brave, the creative, the talented and the outspoken to extremism and crime.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has condemned the attack and has directed the relevant authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. Moreover, the Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah has taken notice of the incident and ordered IG Sindh to submit a report regarding the assassination. However, this is another case of state failure, and another target killing where the police and government will not be able to catch and punish the shooters. Karachi continues to bleed.
Amjad Sabri was one of the country’s finest qawwals, known for his soul-stirring renditions of mystic poetry, and we failed him by refusing to acknowledge the hate and violence on our streets. By promoting this poisonous ideology of a specific, rigid Muslim identity, we silently watch monsters grow.