KARACHI:
Albert Einstein had a profound desire for permanent peace in the world. He struggled hard to achieve his mission of world peace and wrote to world intellectuals asking them to make a strenuous effort to avoid war. Unfortunately, his efforts went into the vein and WWII ended in a dreadful event leading to the loss of hundreds to thousands of precious lives. This was not something that he had ever expected.
While on the one hand Einstein’s infamous theory of relativity and energy equation would usher a revolution and create a paradigm shift in the future of mathematics, physics and technology, it was at the time being used for a much more sinister purpose — creation of atomic bombs in order to win wars. When Einstein was made aware of this, he felt that he had a certain responsibility towards the world and therefore advocated for ending war and instilling worldwide peace. He could not bear the thought that his ideas would eventually lead to millions suffering tremendously.
Unfortunately, such a sense of social and humanitarian responsibility is absent in Pakistan, and lust for power and wealth supersede all other ambitions. Our leaders have been fighting and mudslinging each other for 73 years with the aim to grab power under the slogan of strengthening a democracy that only exists in imagination. The ruling party and their opponents need to realise that Pakistan is home to millions of people who are currently under extremely deplorable conditions due to their negligence and misgovernance. It is about time for these leaders to show their sincerity to the general public. The solution to each issue lies in reconciliation and consensus, not in confrontation.
Raja Shafaatullah
Islamabad
Published in The Express Tribune, October 22nd, 2020.
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