Parliament or Madame Tussauds?

We as a nation are the epitome of hypocrisy and selfishness. We speak up on matters which are ‘trending’ and once something more ‘trendy’ comes in (child marriages), we move towards it. Have we all forgotten about Zahir Jaffer? The man who killed Noor Mukadam?

Zahir Jaffer was sentenced to death for beheading Noor Mukadam. However, he appealed his death sentence before the Islamabad High Court; and since then, his appeal is pending, which I am assuming will stay pending for another 20 years. Why is it that all the social media warriors are now silent on this issue? Yes, I agree that the system is corrupt and useless. Maybe that’s why the entire nation has given up. But is this how things will progress now? Will we just shove things under the carpet and move on?

I can’t blame anyone at this stage because amidst the increasing inflation, everyone has better things to do, like feed their families. But is Zahir Jaffer ever going to face the gallows? And once he does, will anything good come out of his death? Until he faces death, he will suffer in the prisons of Pakistan, which are definitely worse than facing death in itself.

Let me state something that might not go down well with many. The real criminals aren’t in jails, they are in parliaments. They are running the system, they are busy convicting the innocent, they are running the country and they have been chosen to govern us, treating us like sheep. The real criminals aren’t in jails, they are in high-end offices. They dine in top restaurants and drive the latest cars. And above all, they buy justice at its best price.

Have you ever thought how the politicians always have money to make guns but never enough money to fund education? State education, as a fact in our country, is as good as nothing. Ghost schools and ghost employees are ubiquitous. Dare I say that the elite are working hard to ensure that the people never receive quality education? After all, illiterate and poor masses are what these power-hungry elite thrive on, don’t they?

While ordinary people like us continue to suffer amongst these tough times. Those who govern us continue to enjoy their perks, their cars and their lavish homes. Most might even be planning a family holiday too. But who cares, there is no check and balance for those who run this country.

It is safe to say that there is no place for the educated in this country. Only the corrupt, deceitful and the rich thrive here. There is no place for new ideas, innovation or pragmatic suggestions. Things will continue to run the way they have been running since the past 75 years and they will continue to operate this way until the end of time. The rich will keep getting richer and the poor will keep getting poorer. Those who speak up for what’s right will either be killed or disappeared. The judiciary will continue to ‘issue notices’ against those who have looted and continue to loot the public exchequer and absolutely nothing will change. Except for one thing though. We’ll just become used to the injustices and violations we face. The real criminals will keep getting away.

The educated are leaving this country in search of broader horizons. What’s alarming is that Pakistan continues to lose worthy, skilled, educated minds at a rapid rate because here, ideas don’t thrive, corruption does.

Our people need entertainment and tourist attractions so they can get their minds off the tough times this country is facing. It means we need to construct new amusement parks and new attractions but that will just cost us more valuable money. So here’s my suggestion and here it goes. Let’s open up the esteemed Parliament and rename it the Pakistani Madame Tussauds where all the useless wax figures are, because well, they only sit there and cost us while doing nothing for the good.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2022.

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