A tension-ridden society

These days, Karachiites wish for just one thing - to live without the fear of violence, terrorism and acts of target killings. However, this wish remains far from being fulfilled since bloodshed and terror is the order of the day in the city. Rapid increase of racial, sectarian, religious, political and state violence in Pakistan over the last two decades especially in Karachi affects its 18 million populations.
Aggressive activities, unpredictable strikes, and shocking bomb explosions in public places are making fertile ground for depression, anxiety and hopelessness. True that adversity of the city violence affected people from all walks of life, however, women, children and young generation in particular go through harrowing and upsetting experiences.
Life is a non-stop series of experiences leaving deep marks on our mind and soul. Each of us has gone through pleasant and horrible experiences. In fact, both types of experiences give us opportunity to learn the complexities of life. Balance between good and bad experience establish good mental health. Despair fear, anxiety and aggressiveness are products of bad incidents and lead to crime -ridden society.
Faiza Rehman, a young collage girl says desperately that "every morning I feel fear of going to collage because of uncertain city conditions, not know how will I reach home in case of sudden outbreak of violence. She showed her anger over political activists for the delay of exams. It is unvarying mental torture to prepare for the exam at night and next morning get the news of postponement of exam owing to strikes and city unrest. I am so worried for my future and doing my best to take admission in foreign educational institute."
In our society, women have to accomplish multiple tasks for the sake of their home and family. In addition, of dealing with the family problems, she is now facing a confusing and non-welcoming environment. Both household and employed women suffer equally in fear because of the terror activities. Most women are worried due to the fear of their family's safety, a housewife, Mrs Iqbal says, "whenever I watch news of bomb blast in the city I could not eat and feel sick. It is difficult for me to shed the news out of my mind easily. Whole day I keep wondering about the security of my husband and children." She adds, "It is very difficult for me to make my eight-year-old son understand that because of the conditions outside, it is not safe for him to play cricket in the ground nearby." She added that her son gets agitated because he does not understand the situation. "He wants to know reasons behind why this is happening and why he must suffer because of such people."
Rida, a women executive says, "My job is such that I have to reach my office even during the strikes. Although I live in a safe area but on my way to office, I have witnessed violent activities such as shooting and burning of tires. My family at home passes the day praying for my safety. It is a constant mental torture making me psyche and affecting my personality and personal life as well."
Mrs Bilqees, a senior staff nurse, is a woman of strong nerves. Deadly injuries severe pains and uncertain medical conditions of patients in emergency room have failed to break her spirit and courage. She makes her experiences key to strengthen her courage and bravery.
During her twenty years of nursing profession, she serves countless patients with severe wounds and injuries. However, pungent memory of a bomb blast accident has pierced her heart deeply. She still feels the pains and sufferings of innocent victims of the terror attack. She describes her bitter experience of emergency ward as follows.
"I was performing my routine duty at Jinnah Hospital Karachi when suddenly a panic situation created at the emergency ward. A bomb rocked a van, carrying 30 employees of a multinational company, at Saddar area. The victims were in serious condition and a chaos had been reigning in the emergency ward. A mob of blast victim's relatives rushed into the ward. All the healthcare staff, paramedical staffs were on high alert.
It was a D-day for us, despite of all our struggle and hard work we felt powerless and unable to save their lives. Terrorists defeated high qualified people. Tears were rolling from our eyes because no life-saving drugs, injections or any operation brought back the lives of those 30 innocent young people who never knew their fate before leaving their home in the morning. Memory of that sad morning makes me depressed, and I feel very sorry for them."
Another working woman Rahima told us her bitter experience of recent Karachi unrest . "I left school at 5.00pm for my home in Gulistan-e-johar. It normally takes me 30 to 25 minutes to reach my home. However, at the day when sudden violence broke out in the city I stuck in heavy traffic jam. Street was blocked and few kilometers were covered in about hours. It was so hot and pollution of buses and cars gave me severe headache. I reached home at 9.30pm. All my family by the whole time was in mental torture."
Day-to-day violent activities are making it hard for women to stay calm and relax. During the month of September, increasing violent activities compel women to protest against fragile law and order situation in Karachi. The protestors raised slogans demanding restoration of peace and order in metropolis. They called upon every segment of the society to come forward and save the port city.
Tension and the constant sight of terror activities are seeping into young children's minds. Hostile city environment is shamefully affecting their minds. Whenever there is unrest in the city, parents switch on the TV to watch "breaking news". Since children are keen observers, they are quick to realise that something dirty is happening. This feeling intensified by the explicit images and live TV coverage that show injured people and gun-toting miscreants.
Dr Amin A Gadit, in his article writes that the "media must consider the negative ramifications of showing violence to children's mental health. It has now been scientifically established that unprocessed and disintegrated memories of childhood trauma could affect an individual in adulthood, causing immense suffering. Moreover, this could also result in such an adult posing a threat to society."
Studies show that children who view live coverage of violent activities on TV are prone to exhibiting aggressive behaviour and get angry easily. A child psychology expert explained, "It is not difficult to imagine the helplessness, fear, sense of loss, and distress experienced by a child after a direct trauma such as the death of a parent. Even indirect exposure to a trauma, however, such as hearing about the terrorist attack in a far away city, can evoke intense emotional responses in children." An angry child is likely to be disruptive and belligerent once he turns into an adult. In this regard, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents to keep their children, who are three years old or younger, from watching television.
Negative effects of city violence upon children are evident from children's increasing demands of weapon toys. It is evident that toys are vital for child's healthy mental development and increasing learning abilities. These days trend of playing with plastic guns, pistols, bombs, knifes, arrows toys is getting popularity among children. This year on EID children, spend their Edi buying weapon toys. Recent acts of violence and terrorism have rapidly making our new generation confused and frightened and they are now trying to reveal their feelings by playing with weapon toys.
Finally, to evoke love for the city, parents should encourage them to take up hobbies such as gardening. Schools can arrange for city beautification programmes to ensure a child's involvement. It is important to choose activities that will convert the child's destructive energy into something constructive. Drawing, painting and crafts are some other things that a child can engage in.