Simpleton mind

Hope is what keeps us going, that maybe one day we’ll see things change for better

Who gave Malala the microphone again? Why is she being given the spotlight and why is she directing the Pakistani government to not recognise the Afghan Taliban government? This is the same lady who was recently visiting South Africa and put up a social media post lamenting the apartheid that happened there but has still not used her platform to talk about the genocide in Palestine.

For me, there has always been only one Pakistani Nobel Prize winner and that was Dr Abdus Salam. Unpopular opinion and feel free to give me all the stick you want but Malala did not deserve the Nobel Prize. So, please stop giving her the spotlight, we have better people. People who have worked hard and continue to do to improve the plight of Pakistan. What has Malala done?

And before I am cancelled by the pseudo feminists, let me just re-establish the fact that I have nothing against Malala. What I do have is reservations as to her selectiveness.

Also, despite having millions of cases pending in our courts, why is the Supreme Court flogging dead horses by opening up cases of people who are already dead? According to reports, Supreme Court will be rehearing the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto murder reference as well as taking up General Musharraf’s high treason case. Are these trials of the dead or death or is this death of trials?

Now, I understand why such cases have to be re-tried to set the course of history straight. But, you only do that when you don’t have millions of cases already pending. You do that when you have an efficient system which is disposing of cases at a high rate. All respect to the Supreme Court but some things can wait.

I know I’ve discussed this in my previous article but why is Nawaz Sharif back? Why is he back to govern again with all his dirty laundry still in the washer?

Why are our cops not efficient? Despite so many years, we have still not been able to develop a robust policing system which could do something as basic as curb street crime. I am not even going to talk about our traffic police and I won’t blame them either. Why should I? The police, including the traffic police, are grossly underpaid which is why they lean towards corruption. And this is an open secret. Fund the police adequately, set some standards to be hired as a cop, increase community engagement with the cops and see the department change for the better.

If I have to worry about my wallet each time I see a cop, that means we haven’t been doing a very good job at conducting our governmental affairs.

And why are our roads dug up, carpeted and dug up again? The good old rhetoric of ‘pipeline daalna bhool gaye’ comes to mind but why? We’ve all grown up seeing it happen multiple times.

There is still no water in our taps. We are still buying water from water tankers despite paying all our taxes. Which reminds me, has anyone ever understood why do we have to pay more for electricity that we used months ago? What are these fuel adjustment charges and why is this retrospective application of charges legal?

Also, why do we have a caretaker government set-up? Why can’t an existing government just organise elections and smoothly hand over power? Are we that corrupt that need a caretaker government set-up to organise elections because a current government is likely to rig elections? Is that how plagued we have become morally?

In periphery, most of these questions will go unanswered in our lifetime. Maybe in the next lifetime too. But just like others in the world, why can’t we have nice cars and nice houses? Why can’t we have sound infrastructure and public transportation?

Hope is what keeps us going, that maybe one day we’ll see things change for the better. Or maybe, it’s helplessness. I can’t decide. Can you?

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2023.

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