Every other day, social media campaigns are initiated against public institutions discrediting them of their performance and sacrifices in the line of duty. This degrades the morale of servicemen and upcoming enthusiasts who wish to be a part of the bureaucracy.
This trend has been persisting for a long time now as propaganda remains rampant throughout the country in order to malign the bureaucracy and public institutions. While social media is a great platform for creating awareness, it also works to create a sense of chaos among the masses by resorting reality. A few tweets by a fake account trending a deceitful hashtag tarnishes the decade long reputation of a person in a matter of days. Therefore, it becomes imperative to regulate social media. While the citizens enjoy their right to free speech, they should also share some civic responsibility in trying to reform the society as a whole. Only through collective efforts and a nationalistic approach, can Pakistan become a model state. China reformed itself in the last 50 years and is still striving to become a global economic power. The credit does not go to the government alone but also to citizens who were able to perform their social duties with enthusiasm.
On the other hand, the youth of Pakistan, obsessed with social media platforms and trending hashtags, are not only becoming increasingly lethargic but have also lost a sense of responsibility. It is high time we focussed and strived for a society as envisioned by the Founding Father of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Danish Ali
Lahore
Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2020.
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