The Way I See It

The footage of the murder of two brothers in Sialkot was played in court and the howls of the victims' family were as painful as the horrific scene itself.

Reminiscent of the spirit seen in the 2005 earthquake, youngsters gather at Imperial Lawn at Shahrah-i-Faisal to pitch in their part to help the 20 million affected by the floods.

At some stage of our lives we ourselves have indulged in corrupt practices, encouraged them or at the very least, not resisted them.

Is the semblance of prosperity better than the stark truth of being stagnant? Is the ‘image’ of good relations with India worth the ‘costs’ we sometimes endure?

Many Pakistani boys have grown up playing cricket on the street. This often means being scolded by neighbours and passers-by. Are the boys really a public nuisance?

Some NGOs get caught up in territorial wars, competing with each other for “most funds raised” or “I have the most volunteers” status.

While India is still perceived as enemy number one, the Pakistan military and the ISI are now committed to fighting the Taliban and their allies.

Our politicians, leaders and people like myself should be thankful that we live in a country where the vast majority of those who suffer in poverty ask so little of us.

Those who rule this country have no real stakes in it, the rest are stuck in it and the small minority that has the means and vision to bring ‘change' have abandoned it.

Trapping anyone in the vicious cobweb of blasphemy is easy in Pakistan. No government, even secular Bhutto, has been able to do anything to change the controversial law.