Our questionable morality

As a nation, we keep maligning the corrupt politicians and demand justice of the highest level


Abdul Majid February 08, 2016

One of the things that we Pakistanis are the best at is conning people. As opposed to the common belief that we as a nation are extremely chivalrous and patriotic, a little observation of our everyday activities can reveal how treacherous we have become.

This rant is not meant to badmouth Pakistan, but to highlight the ironic state of affairs in our country.

Last week, while enjoying my leisure time with friends at a roadside dhaba, which I would not want to name, I witnessed something which tarnished my trust in my compatriots.

Two Chinese men, who could speak a little bit of English, were accompanied by one of our very own, a Pakistani 'bhai'. They ordered a 1.5 litre drink of Pakola and two cups of tea. When the time came to pay the bill, the Pakistani, as usual hospitable and polite, said it was on him. One of the Chinese inquired about the bill anyway. The waiter and the Pakistani took a few seconds and after a quick conversation with each other said it was Rs1,000.

The Chinese took the money out of his pocket and insisted on paying the bill and so he did. Later, another friend who lives in the neighbourhood and visits the dhaba every day told us the Chinese had been visiting the place for the last two days and had been overcharged every single day.

But our habit of defrauding people isn’t just limited to nationals of other countries. As a person who commutes on a motorbike, I have personally been tricked on many occasions. And who were the con artists? The staff at the petrol pump I usually frequent. A freshly tuned-up bike gives you at least 40 kilometres on a litre of petrol. Three times when I went to the pump at Khayaban-e-Bahria to get my motorbike filled, I was fooled with tons of hospitality and at least a litre less of petrol.

As a nation, we keep maligning the corrupt politicians and demand justice of the highest level to be manufactured and institutionalised somehow, but what are we, the people, doing about it? When the basic element of a society, an individual, does not let go of any opportunity to dishonestly earn an extra penny then how can we expect the nation, as a whole, to prosper? We need introspection before we question the morality of anyone else.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th,  2016.

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