Lahore – Not an Ordinary Valentine’s Day (Riots in LAHORE)

The day started very quietly in Lahore, Pakistan, today. The restaurant at the basement of my hotel didnt do their business. I asked why, they said hartal (strike). Tried to find internet, but everything is closed in my area.

Went to Regale Inn where most of foreign backpackers stay, and I was sure I could get internet connection. I asked the Pakistani guy working there what special day today was, as most of the shops were closed. He said that today was Valentine’s Day, and it was day of love in Pakistan, and it was national day nationwide. :question: He even asked me to go to park where I could see couples showing love each other. I thought there should be a little bit mistakes in his information.

Later on I found on newspaper that today is strike day, the whole city is recommended to stop their business. Yes, indeed today is ‘hartal’ day, to protest the Dannish blasphemical cartoon, in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. I just questioned myself, protesting the Dannish cartoon by stopping own business? I bet many people couldnt earn food for today, and the Danmark government wouldnt feel anything about this. But yet, I tried to find more what was going to happen this day. The Mall Road, one of the main roads in Lahore, was quiet, and policemen were everywhere. I asked the police and got to know that the demonstration would start from Data Darbar at 1 pm, and there would be a peaceful rally from there along the Mall Road. The policemen offered me tea and wait there instead of going to Data Darbar. I said no. When I said goodbye, one police kissed my neck (quite common in Pakistan), but I was surprised that he took the chance to lick my neck with his tongue also.  It was 10:30 am

 

I walked to Data Darbar, no public buses today. Yes, hartal. I expected to see demonstrations and orations everywhere throughout the city. In front of the University of Punjab, there was a little crowd, with men and women holding banners. And a orator, looked like an educated one, gave speech while crying. They gathered people at the middle of the street. Still looks normal.

Getting closer to Data Darbar, the bigger the crowd was. And they were coming in groups, similar to carnival groups during National Holiday in Indonesia. One big groups with banners, some read “If you are against our dear Islam, you sure we will crush you” or “No Muslim are Extremous”, and they yelled “Bush kutta… Bush kutta…” (Bush dog, Bush is dog) all the way. The crowd, from a young boy of 7 years old until old men with turban and white beard, everybody with wooden stick in his hand, were quite emotional. The raly of about 50 to 60 people in a group, was walking and runing along the roads near Data Darbar, some with bicycle. A big truck with loudspeakers was prepared also. And they even got more overacting when seeing a foreign photographer trying to capture the moment.

I somehow forgot my Indonesian cap today, and the mass, thousands of people gathered already in Data Darbar, all miscalled me as “Chini…Chini…”(“Chinese, chinese”). Hmmm, not quite a good sign. But I still tried to slip into the center of the crowd and take closer pictures of the activity. There was a podium with some people with beard and turbans giving orations, and the thousands of people yelled together “Bush kutta, bush kutta….Amerika kutta, Danmark kutta….” and I was forced to yell also.

The mass gathered in Data Darbar getting bigger and bigger at that time (12 noon) when more groups coming from every single direction. The demonstrators had a doll, supposed to be Bush, and they beated the doll while yelling “Bush kutta…”. The mass also burnt wheels, papers, everything, everywhere.

People asked me whether I was muslim. I tried to explain them that I was from Indonesia instead of China. Pretended to be Muslim might be the safest way for this moment. A baba-ji and his grandson tried to be my bodyguards, as the crowd getting more aggressive. My camera lense was grabbed by someone when I was taking pictures. The grandson, Farhan, was a very strong-built guy, he even took me to his shoulder so I could take pictures of the crowds from the higher angle. And he always tried to send away people who tried to get too close from me.

When I tried to capture the scene, some overacted people got more overacted and followed me everywhere. The crowd behind me was getting bigger and bigger, and the baba-ji (the old man) who tried to protect me couldnt do anything more. The baba-ji was even smaller than me. While the crowd was completely around me, I was very anxious what would happen. Some unhilarious guys grabbed my ass and screwed it. This kind of male to male sexual harassment in Pakistan somehow had become my routine. Everybody was asking who I was and what I was doing there. I gave no answers. And I was just waiting for God’s help.

A very big guy, strong and tall, brought me inside to his house, where I took rest for 5 minutes. The crowds who followed me and tried to attack me went away. And this guy, Qutbi, became my bodyguard on that day. He gave me a topi (Indonesian: kopiah) so that I looked like a Muslim student, for my safety. I felt really safe when I took pictures with him beside, as he was really helpful in making distance between the crowd and me. Now I can see everything more clearly. So the burning of wheels and dolls were running in Data Darbar. Some people tried to climb the huge banner with Musharraf picture on it, and they suceeded to took it down. The huge crowds which were watching the scene was excited. And some people tried to wave Pakistani flag on the top of the electric tower, and when they made it, there were claps from the people. The burning and doll beating were still running. Being in the crowd was very dangerous, they threw everything from stones, shoes, sticks to the sky. A chain of shoes almost arrived on my head if Qutbi didnt pushed me away.

The singing, Arabic chanting, and yelling was the dominating sound that time. From Bush kutta to Musharaf kutti (Musharraf is a bitch), the mass started to move slowly towards Mall Road at about 2 pm, after the noon prayers. Some people were bringing dogs (real dead dogs, and with a banner: BUSH) and beat them all the way while yelling “Bush… Bush…”. There were several trucks full of demonstrators, and also walking raly of thousands of mobs. Children in open trucks, old men with turban on the roof ot he trucks, and young guys with flags and banners. I have never seen such a big crowd of Pakistanis in my life. I bet that most demonstrators are non-Lahoris, as Lahoris prefer to stay at home at this time.

The people tried to beat everything they could. The traffic lights, electric lines, flower pots, everything …, everything. The museum next to Anarkali market was guarded by the army, but the flower pots were all broken. I couldnt make connection between the destruction of flower pots with anger towards Dannish cartoon.

Getting closer to Mall Road, I saw flame of burning houses. Just remembered, a McDonald shop nearby. And indeed, when I reached there, McDonald was still burning, completely demolished, and the chairs, tables were outside. While some people, journalist-wanabee, tried to capture this moment with all devices they have – mostly mobile phones. The bank building next to it, and also Askari Bank were also burnt. All of the cars parked outside were also burnt. One guy, a young demonstrator, said “Yih bahut accha hai…” (this is very good). I asked what good about this. He said that America should go down. Qutbi tried to intervene the conversation, and I bet I shouldnt debate with angry mobs at this time.

Going further along the Mall Road, both sides of the road were already occupied by the walking ralies and trucks. The yells of Bush kutta and songs of shalawat could be heard everywhere. And yet, another flame can be seen from distance. This from the area near the Regale Chowk, which included Kentucky Fried Chicken, National Bank of Pakistan, MBP, Suzuki showroom, and even Shezan- a highclass Pakistani restaurant, were all burnt. All vehicles from Suzuki showroom were taken off from the shop, and the mass burnt it together, beat the cars with the sticks, and everybody was excited. KFC was totally gone when I was there, but still burning. Shezan was still burning. And it seems that nothing can be saved from that poor restaurant and hotel (luckily I didnt stay there). What’s this, I questioned myself. Anger towards the West and destroying Pakistanis buildings? Even people working in McDonald and KFC are all Pakistanis. And why NBP (National Bank of Pakistan)? “Sab admi paghal hua,” (everybody is crazy) said Qutbi. Pizza Hut was burnt down. A young guy with a banner with Kalimah Shahadat (There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Prophet) was smiling proudly in front of the ruins. An irony. They said if Pizza Hut were muslim, then there wouldnt be anything happened to it. What an idea\.

Walking further, the big mass stopped near the chowk near the AlFalah building. A very, very big crowd, and many people with turbans also, along with some youngsters. No women in scene, only one I saw, was held tightly by her husband. Al Falah building, with Citibank on the basement, was surrounded by the people who burnt all of the cars and motocycles in the parking area. Some people took the drinking water machine from the nearby furniture shop and burnt them together with the car. Some unhilarrious ones, tried to steal the machine away. Somehow I saw the connection between the riots and Jakarta riot May 1998 (minus the rapings).

In some alleys, life was a little bit normal. Some young children were still playing crickets, and even some small kiosks were open to sell drinks. When the mobs came, they were forced to close down their kiosks, or the kiosks would be demolished. I saw a kiosk was demolished near Data Darbar earlier, as the kiosk was still open selling drinks to the demonstrators.

Where were the police? After Citibank was completely demolished, some troops came. There were conflicts between the demonstrators and the police. The demonstrators threw stones and everything, and the police sprayed tear gas to the mobs. And I was between them. I felt like being a war photographer, hided behind a wall, and sometimes still stealing to take pictures of the stone throwing, from behind the wall, and then hid again. My eyes were painful, it was the first time for me to had tear gas in my eyes. Qutbi tried to push me back home, but I insisted to go around and reach the demonstrators from the other way.

All cars, in the alleys, were all destroyed. The angry mobs threw stones to all shops nearby. Later on I found the mobs got angered because some people were arrested by police because of the destruction. The mullah tried to calm down the mob by asking them to go home, but they also tried to make the emotion someway by chanting some religious reading.

I went further to the police side. Here only journalists were allowed to go (somehow I managed to get in also). The police was standby, and there was a buffer of about 1 meter to separate the police and the people. The buffer was made by human fence. I saw some blood on the pedestrian path, nobody was sure whose it was.

Some journalists came and interviewed me, asked what my feeling. I told them that my country was also populated by Muslims, and we completely understood the feeling of the people here. But my point was, God doesnt need to be defended, and especially in anarchist way. They got my point.

Somehow the mass calmed down. The chief officer made a compromy, sitting with the Amir (leader) of Jamaah Islamiyah he said that he was going to release the people they arrested. “I am Muslim, and you are also Muslim. We are in the same side,” said him. The situation was getting much better after it. The mobs started to leave, to go home. On Mall Road, police everywhere, and I saw some beatings by the police towards the demonstrator. I prefer to avoid. The scene was like a city after a war. The modern Mall Road suddenly became a road of fire and ruins. Very sad indeed.

I told Qutbi that my heart was so painful seeing all of these destructions. I asked Qutbi what his feeling was. And he said just normal.

In some parts of Mall Road, there was no electricity until night. I thought there would be curfew, but there was not. The banks around KFC were still burning until night, and there was still no electricity and water in Regale Chowk the day after.