ARE THEY REALLY COMING???

It's splashed all across the newspapers. Musharraf has declared emergency in Pakistan. Imran Khan is under house arrest. Bhutto says its not emergency...its martial law. India says it's Pakistan's internal affairs but that they are alert. And how does this affect me? Perhaps not much except that the T.V is gonna be stuck on CNN-IBN for a while. But somehow it has unsettled me. I guess it because this is so much closer home. I never felt this way with Afghanistan or Iraq or Darfur....they were all happening in a world far, far away. I remember when U.S invaded Iraq all I thought was this shouldn't interrupt my twelfth board exams(they were starting on the third day of the third month of the third year of the millenium...could it get any luckier). Even Burma didn't have that much of an impact. I was outraged that all these crimes against humanity were happening. But it is the same outrage that one feels when one is watching Hotel Rhwanda in the comfort of one's cosy home. You are angry in a detached way because you know that you are safe....it won't happen to you. And then you switch off the T.V and return back to your life. But this is happening right next door. A country that resembles us the most no matter how much we hate them and their cricket team. Now I am not very politically aware to comment on whether this was a right move or not but I do believe any thing that stands against freedom of speech is wrong. The U.S will as usual look the other way because Pakistan is an ally in the 'WAR AGAINST TERRORISM' and Britain will follow suit. and I think what can I do......I am just a girl....and this doesnt even affect me.....I dont even live in that country. All I can do is sympathise with the poeple who are living there right now and hope this thing blows off soon. As my brother heaves a sigh of relief that the cricket matches between India and Pakistan is not going to be affected by this, a poem by Niemöller comes to mind

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out