A message from Salma

Last year when one of Pakistani clans kidnapped and murdered the Polish geologist, Piotr Stańczak, I wrote a very bitter text, in which I gave vent to my helpless fury. I may not be politically correct but I always respect people of any nationality, religion and culture as long as they do not trespass certain norms which I consider universal. I’m not a European cultural supremacist but I do believe a great number of the norms developed over centuries in this part of the world are really better than any others. While talking about universal rules, however, I hardly ever mean cultural norms but pure biology. If someone is being murdered he/she suffers and his/her pain is an element people of different backgrounds can easily understand. If a little girl is given to an old goat for marriage which actually means systematic rape and battering, no cultural arguments appeal to me. I hold a strong position that murdering innocent civilians, especially armless hostages, is a sign of the lowest cultural standards.

Whatever my opinion on the issue, I was nicely surprised by a message from Salma Noreen, who introduced herself as a woman from Pakistan. I allow myself to quote her whole text:

hello.i am from the Pakistan and i know how innocent was piotr and how was he brutally murdered by infighting among Taliban.Baitullah Mehsud (now dead)had no intentions to kill him.they just wanted for sort of bargain but than master of suicide bombers(Qari Hussain,also dead) in pakistan intervened after our government didnot released taliban POW.he did not act on advise of Taliban chief Baitulah,Qari was deputy,and killed him.after the incident Baitullah had almost waged war on Qari had other militant groups not intervened.the irony is he was very nicely treated.the taliban played football and cricket with him and learn him Pashto.the Taliban initial demand was 72 prisoners but than they dropped it to 5.again the government,s apathy damaged his cause.and brought his demise.He was killed in Darra Adam Khel,NWFP,Pakistan.surprisingly they gave him drugs so that he couldnot felt pain and than beheaded him.till today the tribal peoples of that area remebers him.they call him pootr.his killing so alienatid tribal people.after this incident TTP in Darra Adam Khel split into Two groups.the mastermind was isolated .his name is Tariq Afridi,and his fellow member accused him of killing innocent.till today they fight in the area .his case is contrary to Daniel Paerl.i have in memory no body was much sad after Daniel, killings.not bcoz he was Jew but bcoz he was American and was doing investigations about militant groups.i have great respect for him.and i will always remember him.He was innocent.He was with us to help us.i and my fellow tribal member in Pakistan deeply apologize for that shameful act.in one way we feel guilty.May his body rests in Peace.condolonces to his relatives.

I’m still thinking how I should approach these explanations but all I know now is that Salma wanted to show her sympathy to our country and people. I may be wrong, of course, but I want to believe she felt an internal need for saying something nice to Poles. Probably she heard the news about our national disaster and recollected the event that remains a dark stain on their fellow-tribesmen’s collective conscience, if I can say there is such a thing. I am not in a position to receive apologies or all the more to forgive. I simply observe some people’s need to get in touch with someone in Poland and show her good will. I am grateful for this!