Six military personnel were martyred in a helicopter crash during a flood relief mission in Balochistan. The helicopter went missing on the night of August 1 and was found in Musa Goth, Lasbela district a day later. All soldiers aboard, including a corps commander, embraced martyrdom. The news brought with itself melancholy and sadness for the entire nation. However, there were some factions on social media that heartlessly celebrated or enjoyed the loss of military lives due to their negative views about the whole institution. It is a sad state of affairs when people are seen to be heartless and downright evil in their intentions. Six lives were lost while trying to save thousands of others, these army personnel were not out there in such harsh weather for their own benefit, they were there to save the lives of fellow Pakistanis as they deemed it to be their duty. Yet people sitting in the comfort of their homes had the audacity to use social media platforms to utter vile things about the martyred soldiers who gave their lives while saving others.
It is extremely unfortunate that when such incidents occur, some factions of society, instead of standing in solidarity with the heirs of the martyred and the institution, choose to indulge in propaganda against the army. The Pakistani army is one of the greatest militaries in the whole world and it must be respected. Soldiers leave their homes without knowing whether they will be back or not, no matter their rank. Those they leave behind, may it be their ailing parents or young children, stand tall even when they receive the news of their child’s or father’s martyrdom. They proudly give their blood and sweat to the country and its people while some of these people do not care at all about their sacrifices. Instead they choose to malign the institution and the martyred souls. They do not think of the effect their profanities have on the already grieving relatives of the martyr. The distress and anguish caused by such vile social media campaigns leaves a wound far deeper and worse.
To counter such propaganda Pakistan needs to regulate social media. Today we see anyone posting anything they choose to without any repercussions. This not only hurts the sentiments of those targeted but also influences other social media users. Due to non-regulation, anyone can pretend to be a Pakistani and post all kinds of propaganda against the esteemed institutions of the country. This is likely to form a type of thinking within the nation that results in the citizens of Pakistan becoming aversive to the military and its personnel who spend their days and nights away from their families to protect the ordinary citizens. Those in Pakistan who differ with the workings of the army must realize that having differences with the institution does not give them the license to speak ill of those who lost their lives and neither is it morally correct to do so. Therefore, people must respect the great institution of the army that has always worked for the betterment of the people and the state by laying down countless lives without giving a second thought. In such a time of grief the army must be supported.
