Pakistan

Cockroaches of the human kind

It is shameful how indifferent we have become as collective people to tragedies.

Letter August 24, 2010

ISLAMABAD: This is with reference to Fasi Zaka’s article “Pakistan’s human cockroaches” (August 24). It is after much contemplation that I have found words to write here because what the writer has written has really put me to shame. It is shameful how indifferent we have become as collective people to tragedies. I, like many members of the passive TV audience, hid my face when the footage was being aired. But it’s not just one incident – we, the silent spectators, did the same when women were being whipped in Swat, when people are murdered in the name of honour, when people were flogged amidst scores of people during martial law regimes. I can barely lift my head so hung in shame.

Fasi Zaka’s emotion, in comparison to his otherwise ironic satire, is much more hard-hitting – or at least in this case. The article is the kind of writing that will register loud and clear with readers.

G Mir

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2010.

COMMENTS (2)

Sarah | 14 years ago | Reply To the above reply: What good does it do to our country if we point fingers at other countries?? If the USA or Canada treat their minorities unfairly, does it mean it's ok for us to do the same? It's called denial my friend. We are not going to get to be a better nation by pointing out mistakes made by others. We have to start identifying our own mistakes and correcting them rather than making ourselves feel better by looking at someone else's weakness. The first step in curing a disease is a correct diagnosis. We have to start diagnosing our faults and finding solutions for them if we want to be a civilised nation. I am a Pakistani and I care about what's happening in my country and what I can do to help. I don't care if the US media turns a blind eye to the injustices occuring in their society. That's their problem to correct, not mine to point out. Remember: when you point a finger at someone, three others point back at you.

NG. | 14 years ago | Reply This is with reference to Fasi Zaka’s article “Pakistan’s human cockroaches” (August 24). The article is insulting, rude and derogatory. Its true that is loud and hard-hitting, however its that, in all the wrong ways possible. I was appalled and disgusted by it and I wonder how such an article was allowed to be published....does the fact that such an article can be published online in your newspaper, for all the world to see, means that next we'll be seeing anger venting and bashing of other sorts too? Tomorrow, we might see an article bashing and throwing insults at other cultures and/or countries. Is this sort of thing, part of the journalistic intigrity? Is this part of the goal for this newspaper? Zaka, brings up the point of the minorities being treated unfair in Pakistan...I wonder if he did his research properly. All he had to do was google "Hurricane Katrina" and he would have found out how poorly the US government treats minorities. Nowhere in the world, not even in developed countries like USA or Canada, do minorties ever get treated fairly. The reason the rest of the world does not find out, is because journalists here, do not go about bashing on and insulting their own people.

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