On this Eid...
The best index of the happiness of a nation is its economy. On this Eidul Azha, the statistics are abysmal as usual. The rupee is rapidly losing value and people are losing jobs because domestic capital is fleeing the country and foreign capital is reluctant to enter it because of law and order problems. Minorities, both Muslim and non-Muslim, are under great pressure. But the tragedy of Pakistan is that the nation is divided over what to the world appear to be easy solutions for the restoration of human dignity. Intolerance prevents us from agreeing on what happened to Malala Yousufzai at the hands of terrorists. We are also unable to agree on modifying a law that victimises poor citizens on suspicion of blasphemy so as to prevent its misuse.
Ironies proliferate. On October 22, Pakistan decided to present a national report to the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting early next month in Geneva, telling the 192 member states of the United Nations how Pakistan acted ‘to promote and protect human rights’ in the country. The world is worried about us and sees us failing to come to the help of innocent citizens being killed by a combination of elements representing religious sects and aggressive sub-nationalism. Democracy is under attack from these elements who swear that they are destroying children’s schools because our education is secular (sic!).
Despite the global sympathy felt for our plight, we pursue a foreign policy that is isolationist, unconsciously aiming to bring us closer to our tormentors, al Qaeda and the Taliban. As we reject proposals of action against these elements and inculcate hatred against the outside world, our identity is moving closer to the identity of our killers. This symptom is called Stockholm Syndrome in which the victim takes on the characteristics of his tormentor to seek self-empowerment, which should have come from the state in the first place.
The state is losing its protective outreach. Territory is being lost to terror while the establishment refuses to give up its old mind-maps designating new enemies while refusing to give up confrontation with the old ones. Such policies, based on honour, most hurt the national economy, which advises against honour achieved through self-isolation. Fashioned aggressively by the establishment and past military dictators, our foreign policy refuses to yield normal results. Big projects that could ease our spiralling energy crisis are in abeyance because the assistance needed for them is blocked on the basis of our disagreement with the global powers.
Natural calamities find us unprepared and hampered by corruption. Two years of abnormal rainfall in Sindh has inflicted havoc on millions of poor in the countryside. Far from coming to their help, the Sindh government is finding itself mired in corruption, squeezing money out of the funds that, in some cases, should have gone to the rescue of the people. Abandonment of the people by the state is proving to be an incentive for crime and outlawry. Bank robberies and kidnappings for ransom are fast becoming the way out of abject poverty, which compounds the trend among the Taliban and their affiliated elements to fill their terrorist treasury through these assaults on the lives of citizens. The Supreme Court is functioning in a vacuum of state power in Balochistan, and now in Sindh, as a bench of it is calling the Sindh administration to account for the virtual breakdown of law and order. Everywhere the state functionary pleads not guilty and points to the breakdown of the state machinery. Another Eid will end in prayers for better times, no matter how futile they sound.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2012.
COMMENTS (8)
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Just "prayers for better times" won't do. God does Not make it His business how we live or die. If we want things changed, and right the wrongs then we got to do it ourselves. No more waiting for any divine intervention. We all must come forward and GIVE not sacrifice. We must give whatever we can and have beyond its utility value anything in excess of what we must have, we must learn to share with those among us, the less fortunate ones, who don't even have one decent meal a day. We got to do it, it's not only imperative for our survival as people. It's not just an act of altruism but also it is in our own best 'self-interest'.
@Leila Rage
With all due respect I disagree. I think it is spreading negativity. We all know the reality no one is that blind. No need to spread negativity, instead could have been used to spread positive mssg e.g, like I mentioned above using Eid-ul-adha mssg of sacrifice to fight against problems pakistanis facing. Every pakistani can be urged to sacrifice something, time, money or skills to help other pakistanis. Must we always look at government? What stopping us to teach atleast on our street ppl who to read and write you don't even need a school or big area just help someone with their homework?
@afzaalkhan: Nobody's trying to spread negativity. But if we start pretending everything is fine, who is going to bother to fix things in this nation?
Its better to face reality than to live in a dream while your house is on fire.
Good Editorial. Agree with you.
@Something Clever
Ppl like me? An't this the same attitude displayed by TTP? What do you mean people like me? Do u know me? Do u know what my political, social religious views are? You don't yet you display same arrogance and assumption as of TTP and that is the point. Writing an editorial in ET about what is wrong with country as message of eid accomplishes what? Pray tell? How about a positive message? How abt reminding people that when one sacrifice one get bigger rewards which is the message of eid-ul-adha. Must you always cry? why so pessimistic, why spreading so much negagtivity?
A very touching and sensitive editorial, the anguish is palpable. The phenomena described by you is way beyond Stockholm syndrome. The tragedy is that while Rome is burning only a microscopic few are conscious enough to feel the heat and pain, rest are in an opiated bliss.
@afzaalkhan: Maybe they could if people like you could go just one day without putting off doing something about it for another day.
How about just simply saying Eid Mubarak instead of listing all what is wrong. Can you plz just for one day let go of self loating? Please?