KARACHI:
At present, one of the biggest problems faced by Pakistan is the growing intolerance amongst the people. Everyone wants to be heard but no one is patient enough to listen to others. Resultantly, people have become unreceptive to others’ ideas, opinions, or suggestions. Much of the intolerance stems from Pakistan’s political climate, which has always been contaminated with intolerance and violence.
Political leaders have the power to influence the public discourse, which is why they should always be careful with the ideas they promote. Unfortunately, however, our political leaders have failed to recognise this and continuously promulgate hateful ideas and speech, which has been confirmed by recent political developments. Both the government and the opposition have engaged in either verbal or physical abuse or both in government bodies, private events, television programmes, and social media. This form of behaviour by the political leaders normalises violence and sets a dangerous precedent for the masses. Instead of engaging in sound debate and reasoning, people begin to employ violent tactics to resolve day-to-day issues.
Attacks on political figures are condemnable and go against democratic norms and values. These barbaric attitudes can have a far-reaching impact and destroy our social fabric. Therefore, all political leaders and others in authoritative positions must behave civilly in both public and private spheres. Instead of hatemongering, they should promote tolerance and acceptance. Without reforming our attitudes from top to bottom, we must not expect any form of progress or change in society.
Muhammad Sufyan
Bhimber
Published in The Express Tribune, April 19th, 2022.
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