“At the end of the day we are all human beans…”
All living creatures except man are largely at the mercy of their surroundings. They live under conditions which are not of their making and which are but little changed by their efforts. No conscious purpose nor definite idea of progress is possible among them. They live in a world of nature and are controlled by its conditions, being unable to conquer it or to change their own destiny by their own deliberate actions.
Fast forward…
As many as 2960 major crimes ranging from child sexual abuse, abduction, missing children, and underage child marriages, children were reported in the four provinces, including the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit Baltistan (GB), in the year 2020. Women, religious minorities, and the transgender community continue to face violence, discrimination and persecution, continues. Media coverage gets impeded by a climate of fear by both government authorities and militant groups. Pakistan ranks eighth among the ten countries that collectively hold 60 percent of substandard housing across the world. In most Pakistani cities, water is supplied only four to 16 hours per day and to only 50 percent of the populace.
At the same time, there are enduring woes of being trapped in low growth, decline in GDP per capita and slow economic recovery; disrupted food supply chains and rising food inflation coupled with a declining purchasing power; massive unemployment and many more people falling into poverty. Just saying…
We are all citizens of Islamic Republic of Pakistan—aren’t we? Article 260 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, straightens out the deal for us — by defining the word ‘citizen’ to ameliorate my sense of insecurity, as “a citizen of Pakistan as defined by law”. Or the citizen that Mr Faisal Vawda claimed to be before the Election Commission of Pakistan. On 9 February, 2022, a three-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan, disqualified Mr Vawda perpetually on the footing of not qualifying for being sagacious, righteous, non-profligate, honest and ameen for a member of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) as envisioned in Article 62 (1-f) of the Constitution.
It is a principle of national socialism, stated Hitler, that some things are beyond discussion. “Who dares with his small average brain” to discuss eternal values. These things are to be judged by the centuries, not by the “intellect of small ordinary beings”.
We are the problem. Each and every person in Pakistan contributes to this system. The system that we own and disown on our own accord. We are the problem. And each person who says, “not me, I’m honest” is the biggest liar of all. Including myself.
We all know nations that can be identified by the flight of writers from their shores. These are regimes whose fear of unmonitored writing is justified because truth is trouble. It is trouble for the warmonger, the torturer, the corporate thief, the political hack, the justice system, and for a comatose public.
“Some have God’s words; others have songs of comfort for the bereaved
If I can pluck up courage here, I would like to speak directly to the dead”
I am unable to decide whether its people truly want honesty and transparency or lies and corruption. I think the majority of our people have chosen dishonesty as a way of life. From the richest to the middle class to the poor, we live in hypocrisy, mendicity, and squalor. I think we prefer it this way. It’s almost an automatic reflex.
We do not love the truth in itself. For those of you who tell me this is true, I only know the environment in which I have lived in, which is Pakistan. No, I have not seen people like this anywhere else. Perhaps, this is because telling the truth, being moral or being good, is hard work. And we are not brave enough for that, this is a national character, this is how the world perceives us. We had a better face up to it, rather than hiding in denial. And the truth is, we are cowards as a nation. Perhaps, afraid of truth, afraid of hard work, afraid of consequences.
Each human being has tendencies towards corruption but in Pakistan, we indulge them, exploit them, instead of striving to overcome them. The political parties, scholars, intelligence agencies, and bureaucracy, do not create this culture of dishonesty but perhaps, they extract advantage from it. And nuclear might, and strong armies, and full coffers will not make us strong people.
We still have not faced up to ourselves so when you ask what’s wrong with Pakistan, realize that the sickness is within ourselves, each and every one of us. You students who chose to plagiarize and cheat, the problem lies with you. You men and women who enter into marriage and the false pretences, the problem lies with you. You who look down on the poor while admiring the rich, the problem lies with you. You who allow religion to give you a sense of false complacency, the problem lies with you. You who transcribe your functions (so-called) “upon direction of the Federal Government” as envisaged in Article 245 of the Constitution, as you please, the problem lies with you. Your gods are flawed beings who you admire and worship, and your own selves. You will criticize and admonish your children, but never spend time with them, explaining what’s right and wrong, because the problem lies with you. You who objectify your children with E-Trons, and Maybachs, the problem lies with you.
We are the problem. Each and every person in Pakistan contributes to this system. The system that we own and disown on our own accord. We are the problem. And each person who says, “not me, I’m honest” is the biggest liar of all. Including myself.
