Your prayers saved my papa, says Mir’s daughter

I have always believed in miracles, but have never personally witnessed one as magnificent as that which gave my father the strength to survive six bullets. Six bullets, three that are still inside, are not easy to take and stay alive. I was struck by shock, disbelief…but I still couldn’t believe that my father would leave me. Perhaps, I had too much faith in Allah to firmly believe that my father’s years’ long struggle could not have such a bitter end. Besides, the countless number of prayers and blessing being sent his way could not go unanswered by Allah. Surely, all of your heartfelt prayers have saved my father from a highly fatal attack, but believe me, you have saved me too. I thank you.

While I am not in the right state of mind to be saying much, I have mustered up enough courage to make a fairly simple point: My father’s aim as a journalist has been, and always will be, to fight for the prosperity and well-being of all of us, Pakistanis. Yes, a lot of you may not concur with his stance on many important matters, but for the sake of our own nation, for the sake of one’s family, please realise that violence is not the answer.

I can’t speak for my father but I, some of the hurtful accusations, I have read on social media and in some parts of media make me feel the pain of bullets he must have felt. We must learn to resolve our differences by means other than those which compel hundreds of our journalists to sacrifice their lives for the mere purpose of ensuring that justice is served. My point is not to ask for greater security measures for me and my family, for our only saviour is Allah, but to speak on behalf of all those families who have lost their loved ones to a battle that is ours as a nation. Patriotism has many forms, talking about the wrongs and injustice of our society is highlighted so that we can fix them and bring Pakistan together, and not so we can demoralise anyone. As long as the families of all the missing persons remain in a state of mourning and uncertainty, we must feel obliged to make their pain our own, we must fill the silence with unity.

Many years ago my grandfather, Waris Mir, also lost his life in this same battle for justice and freedom, and it was in the aftermath of his death that my father felt the need to continue this struggle by using two simple tools: a pen and the right to freedom of expression. And I assure you, the amount of hard work that my father devotes towards this goal is not only enough to boost my spirit, but also to provide thousands of Pakistani youths with the inspiration and strength to keep fighting until Pakistan wins back its happiness through democracy, tolerance and rule of law. Those who oppose may try to silence us through violence, but the power of our voices is way greater than their guns.

Ayesha Mir is the 18-year-old student and daughter of Hamid Mir