Time to be realistic

As the extended lockdown has begun to bite all sections of society, the PM stands vindicated for his persistent opposition to a countrywide lockdown for a prolonged period. Firdous Shamim Naqvi, the Opposition Leader in Sindh Assembly, has written a letter to the PM calling for easing the lockdown and opening a few industries with a view to facilitating workers and their dependents. Now many working-class families are on the verge of starvation. The PM’s stance is based on hard realities of life in Pakistan.

Conditions are identical in most developing countries. The majority population in most countries of the global South is poor who finds it difficult to make ends meet. These are very tough times for daily-wage earners, petty shopkeepers and suchlike people. Despite the federal and provincial governments, NGOs and philanthropists having announced free distribution of food rations for the vulnerable sections of society, not many of the deserving are getting these rations. At several places people have held protest demos against favouritism in distribution of ration. Favouritism and other kinds of dishonesty are understandable given the general propensity for taking advantage of a bad situation for selfish gains.

The insensitivity of certain segments is evident from the way advertisements of food items like ice-cream and spices are continuously being shown on TV. Cooking programmes too are going on. This really hurts those who are not getting sufficient food. Well-fed and well-dressed chefs demonstrating how to prepare delicious food fit for the tables of kings, and the chefs bragging about their achievements is in very bad taste at a time when many are not being sufficiently fed. This display of insensitivity touching on cruelty should be stopped forthwith. The prolonged lockdown is affecting all sections of society in one way or the other. It is time to be realistic while taking preventive measures against coronavirus.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2020.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.