Written by Reema Amir
I still remember the day when I woke up one fine morning, took a cup of coffee and moved towards my laptop in seek of online news. First response was not favorable to me, and then I scrolled and scrolled but didn’t find anything good. There was a variety of news on my home page, where I found different satires, comparison of Valentine’s Day and Hazara Community Killing, different protest events and the so called list goes on. In that mean while I had heard some alien voices, and I asked my mom, what was that? She told its some political party doing jalsa for their own sake. I left my bed to see what’s going around? The tents, the supporters, the woofers, the arrangements were all good. But all I heard is criticism and no solutions, as expected. So, I decided to write to ABC party through social media.
I got back to my laptop and had started typing:
Aslam-o-alikum sir with due respect I am writing to you, that change not comes with long speeches and criticism. We can understand that elections are near, but try to understand our stance as well; we’ll surely give votes to the one, whom we wanted. Now please do something to shut the woofers off, as I am not feeling well plus I have to complete my writing, I can’t concentrate on work due to loud voices. This speech session is near XYZ and it’s been long now, past 3 hours. Totally screwed. Thank you.
Best Regards.
Lay man- Pakistani.
That was a lay man voice, not bothered by our representatives, yes but I got few likes on it by other lay persons like me. It seems funny, where we are standing today? Is Bloodshed and killing we left with? I was taught that Islam means ‘Peace’ but where the hell it is missing? For connecting the lost dots, we need to travel in past to find answers. But unfortunately all answers I got are from two perspectives either from a conservative’s perspective or from a liberal’s perspective. We all know religion came into subcontinent from saints who preached the lesson of Spirituality; love, equality and humanity and in subcontinent people chose to be religious ‘nuts’ instead of spiritual ‘fruits’. And then the real game started, which ends in separation, not only in separation but more sub division on the basis of differences in form of casts, creeds, sects, sex and language.
It’s considered to be a universal fact that religion is always taken up for the ‘Politics’ and hence this tradition has been followed up by our leaders too. Either he was Bhutto or he was Zia. Both leaders come up with different ideologies, with different vision and with different cultures. The concept ‘Islamizing’ led by General Zia-ul-Haq has changed the fate of Pakistan and this is what where we are standing now isolated, all alone. Serving other’s interests. Compromising our own people’s life, either it’s by drones or by ferons (Pharaoh -Taliban) who wanted women to be seated at homes and who believe in converting all other people to their religions and belief systems.
As it takes two to make a quarrel, there was injustice and egos of others too, anyone would hate to get stripping, being hung upside down, petrol being poured down anus and being put into freezing water in the bitter cold and getting genitals electric shocks. Yes I am talking about Afzal Guru and many like him. Definitely such inhumane act do affects the sentiments of already oppressed people which end in nothing but in hate, as every action has an equal and an opposite reaction, I would rather add on, a chain reaction. The past figures proved the religious extremism a challenge to Pakistan’s existence. Noticeable names who were victimized are Benazir Bhutto, Salman Taseer, Shahbaz Bhatti, Bashir Ahmad Bilour and Malala Yousaf Zai. Almost last year alone, 4,447 people were killed in 476 major terrorist attacks. It’s a pity that I me myself mentioning human beings into numbers and statistics, all are equal and I am left with no choice.
It’s an alarming situation for us and we keep putting it on snooze. This social problem is linked with our economic problems. Thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives while millions have lost everything they had and are forced to migrate to relatively safe places. This war has destroyed our economy beyond imagination. Pakistan’s economy has suffered on two accounts: first large amount of money is being used on War on terror and second because we have lost many foreign investors and markets. Cost of war for Pakistan is 68 Billion Dollars, while Pakistan’s Foreign Debt is 50 Billion Dollars. There are 3.5 Million refugees, over 3,500 schools destroyed, over 720,000 children are deprived of schooling, 75% students are absent from fear of attacks, nearly 4000 bomb attacks since 2001 and 42,000 Pakistani’s dead.
“Peace begins with a smile”. ― Mother Teresa
But in case of Pakistan Peace will begin with education. A whole generation of Pakistanis has grown up with textbooks that conflate Pakistani nationalism with Islamist exclusives’. The curriculum of schools need be reviewed so that children can receive scientific and secular education in their mother tongue. In addition, there is need to develop critical and creative thinking only then we can change our Pakistan’s condition because
“Peace cannot be achieved through violence; it can only be attained through understanding.”― Ralph Waldo Emerson
If we open our eyes then we came closer to the fact that history is repeating her moves, the old formula Divide and Rule is still in favor of outsiders and we are at best in providing other’s chance to succeed. 2014’s statistics will end up in only LOL thingy for us. When we’ll accept the fact that stupidity is, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? With a heavy heart I am also quoting the same verses which were quoted by the judge of Supreme Court before.
“Pity the nation that achieves nationhood in the name of a religion but pays little heed to truth, righteousness and accountability, which are the essence of every religion.
