7 Resolute Souls Whose Fire Burnt Out Far Too Soon

There are a lot of things one can’t control. Moreover, under the illusion of choice, several aspects seem to be under one’s control. In matters of life and death, human beings are often deluded to believe that they choose to wake up each morning. Where fate plays certain roles, aspects involving culture, society and one’s environment have often been leading factors contributing to one’s existence. In a socially, politically and morally precarious Pakistan the choice of life and death has often been taken away even from God Himself.

Individuals deemed unworthy and unacceptable have been forced to breathe their last while on the verge of breathing freely.

Following are 7 such souls who were stripped away from their right to think, feel, and change the world.

Amjad Sabri

Sabri brothers made their name for their melodious and almost addictive qawal’s. Amjad Sabri was a loved member of the Qawal fraternity and held decent rapport with the local media. His assassination was much to everyone’s surprise, especially in the month of Ramadan. The 45 year old was shot dead in the Southern City of Karachi as he drove himself to work. Two gunmen targeted his car shooting at him 5 times. The bullet to the head is allegedly known to have taken Sabri’s life. Though the reason for the assassination is vividly unknown, a fraction of the Taliban community has claimed responsibility. The reason provided was the “blasphemous” content of his infamous qawal “Tajdar-e-Haram.” This year marked his 2 year death anniversary.

Qandeel Baloch

This is now a household name both locally and for several international stars. Qandeel Baloch made not the best name for herself through social media. Baloch was known for her rather notorious pictures, statues, and videos that spurred hatred across Pakistan. She was known for her bold stance and ability to state her opinion unabashedly. Baloch struggled to make a name for herself as an actress and a singer and was overtly ridiculed on television media. She believed to have been a representative of feminism and wished to expose the dual nature of Pakistani men, inclusive of the religious stature. Her video that “exposed” the now dishonorable Mufti Qavi is what is said to have charged her brother to smother her to death. In 2016 Baloch was said to be seeking asylum with her parents the day she was drugged and later killed.

Sabika Sheikh

Sabika Sheikh’s death left the entire world shook. This 17-year-old was in Santa-Fe Texas through a student exchange program when a local student of the area opened fire. Sheikh was the victim of gun violence and ignored mental ailments that prevails across the United States. She was one of 9 other victims when a student, Dimitrios Pagourtzis shot them dead. Sheikh was a bright mind dedicated to exploring and learning as much as she could. Needless to say, her accomplishments and aspirations were left incomplete as she was forced to breathe her last at the tender age of 17.

Zainab Ansari

The youngest victim in this list is Zainab. A gut-wrenching case that spurred both local and international debate was rooted in the heinous and brutal murder of 7-year-old Zainab Ansari. Left under the wings of her sibling, Zainab was abducted on her way to a Quran recital. Earlier this year and a few days after her abduction, Zainab’s tiny and fragile body was found motionless in a pile of trash. Her body held stark marks of assault and rape. Her childhood was deprived of innocence and left the world sooner than anyone had expected.

Naqibullah Mehsud

Merely days after Zainab, 27 year old aspiring model was shot dead in Karachi. This ambitious young man had allegedly moved to Karachi to pursue and test his luck in the film and media industry. Alas, his journey was cut short in a preposterous case of mistaken identity. Fallaciously labeled a terrorist, Mehsud was shot by Karachi police during a raid. Mehsud’s journey as a model was cut short as his life was brutally stripped away from him. He is followed by a wife and son.

Mashal Khan

A dedicated and determined 25-year-old student of Abdul Wali Khan University was dragged, stripped, beaten to death only for his corpse to be mutilated for hours. Khan was a student of communications who was meant to be a leading example for his siblings and a shoulder for his aged father. However, his dreams were rendered futile as his life turned from exemplary to heart-rending.

Within the campus, Khan was approached by an angry mob for mistaken blasphemy. He was shot. He was stomped on. Stripped of his clothes. Thrown down stairs. Beaten with wooden planks. Attacked with flower pots.

This devoted individual who was out to change the world but was left with a mutilated corpse and broken fingers.

Sabeen Mahmud

A reformist, liberal, progressive human rights lawyer, Mahmud epitomized all that could set Pakistan free from the shackles of conformity. Under the passionate fire of this driven and fearless soul, Sabeen Mahmud was assassinated in 2015 in Karachi. The peace activist was shot four times leaving a coffee house in Karachi. The fatal wounds on her chest, abdomen, and shoulder silenced her futuristic mind before it could accomplish the desired greatness.

“By every act that glorifies or even tolerates such moronic delight in killing we set back the progress of humanity.” ― Rachel Carson

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