In his poem “the Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, the classic English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge gave the message that has become a metaphor for killing the innocent and what follows once the sin is done. It became known as “killing the Albatross”. It is alluring that these metaphors of classic literature remain relevant even to this day. And the events of the modern world remind us of the lessons of the past and how similar nature of events will lead to similar nature of results. Whenever the balance of virtue and sin is disturbed there are consequences. The existence of the universe yearns for equilibrium and the signs are everclear, ever present. The murder of Arshad Sharif, being one of the most prominent and honest journalists of Pakistan is a grim reminder of the story from Coleridge. An Albatross has been killed and the omens of spilling the blood of the innocent will soon follow, as it is said. We are free to make choices but we are not free from the consequences of those choices. The killers of Arshad Sharif have made their choice, now it is upto the leaders to provide justice otherwise the killing of the Albatross brings bad omens and is disastrous in the offing, merciless and unavoidable.
The killing of the albatross by Coleridge can be metaphorically related to the incident at hand. In the poem, a ship is sailing through a sea, the captain of the ship is a cruel man with no regard for beauty, honesty or tolerance. At some point, the winds slow down and so does the ship upon which the captain is frustrated. One day, he observes that there is an Albatross sitting on the ledge of the ship. The captain decides to take out his cruelty and anger on the innocent bird and shoots the bird. The Albatross is a large bird that is found mostly at sea and is commonly visible on shorelines and travels long distances over waters. In English literature, the Albatross is symbol of nature, honesty and good luck. When the captain kills the Albatross, the crew of the ship are scared and speak among themselves that the killing of the Albatross is a bad omen. The captain dismisses it as mere superstition, however the crew is sure that the killing of the innocent bird will not bode well for the ship. Soon, the apprehensions of the crew turn out to be true. The ship is surrounded by thick fog and mist and the whole ship is lost in darkness with no clue as to where it is and the crew members begin to die on by one. The crew grows angry at the sailor who shot the Albatross and forces the captain to wear the dead Albatross around his neck as punishment. But even that remedy is unable to change the fate of the ship and finally a ghostly ship attacks the crew and the ship killing everyone onboard, only the captain is spared. Even the sea is not ready to keep the captain and he is thrown out to the shore. The captain then becomes a narrator of the whole saga, warning all others in the land to never kill an Albatross lest they be met with such a horrific end.
In the last two years alone, around 118 journalists have been killed in Pakistan and many others were forced to flee the country. These journalists were persecuted due to their reporting and highlighting different matters relating to the public. While the explosion of social media platforms has given more power and speaking ability to journalists, it has also created clutter. Freedom and democracy demand that everyone be given a voice but the harassment and killing of journalists is a sign of intolerance, cruelty and tyranny. Disagreement can never warrant murder but it is this intolerance that has the power to destroy nations and bring down empires.
The killing of Arshad Sharif is still shrouded in mystery despite his death on October 23, 2022 and investigations are ongoing and the matter is now under judicial scrutiny. It is not credible that he was murdered out of mistaken identity, as was initially pointed out by the Kenyan police but it seems that his murderers had planned the whole scheme. Arshad Sharif left Pakistan in August this year due to threats; he took refuge in the United Arab Emirates thereafter circumstances were so created where he had to flee from UAE as well. It is known that he went to Kenya because Pakistanis do not require a visa while entering Kenya. And after a few weeks he was killed in a police ‘shoot-out’. The pattern of his movements and the testimonies of his honesty and commitment to his profession, clearly point that he died because of what he believed in. He was an Albatross committed to following its true nature with honesty and integrity and the omens are already on the horizon. A dark cloud surrounds the nation and very few instances of hope and progress remain.
It is still not clear who committed the evil deed of killing Arshad Sharif but under no circumstances can this be justified. Arshad Sharif was doing his job and in his profession it is not mandatory for each and every section of the society to agree with his reporting. Somewhere someone acted like the captain of the ship in Coleridge’s poem. Someone decided to kill the innocent. And the effects of the killing will be borne by the killer. Rest assured, nature will not forgive nor forget.
Arshad Sharif is not the first innocent who became a victim of intolerance. Pakistan as a nation is losing its integrity and its pristine values of brotherhood, discipline and tolerance. The message of the Great Quaid is lost to oblivion. Divisions across the board are plaguing Pakistan and today, more than ever nation direly needs a force that can unite all sectors society. There is no hope of tackling external threats while the internal affairs are not in order. Divided we shall fall. This is a time of seriousness and urgency. Time is running out and the signs of destruction and implosion are imminent. Dialogues and negotiations have been replaced by adversarial brawls and many self-assumed leaders are gaining popularity by expanding the divide among the people of Pakistan. It is the need of the hour to give justice and tolerance a chance. The Government, the people and the leaders must stand together. All must make amends, ask for forgiveness for our sins and repent before the hammer of universal justice falls upon us. The Albatross has been killed and now we pray that we can avoid the fate of the cursed ship, perhaps it may be too late, perhaps not, only time will tell….
