This Day.
Today is the 25th of December, the Quaid-e-Azam's birthday and Christmas. I've gotta admit I haven't been feeling too good today. I'm trying to be optimistic, I'm trying to think positive, I'm trying to convince myself there's hope for this country yet. But maybe I'm being a gullible fool, thinking that this country can miraculously pull out of the downward economic, lawless spiral it's gotten sucked into.
Consider this,11 people died in Karachi today according to Dawn.com (http://dawn.com/2012/12/25/karachi-violence-claims-seven-lives-3/), but that's nothing unusual, right? Pick up the City News ANY DAY of the week, and rest assured you'll find at least three or four violent deaths (murders? target killings? Is there a difference?), if not more. And it's always the same 'two unknown armed men on a motorcycle' who descend out of nowhere, do their dirty work and always manage to 'escape', to 'flee the scene of the crime'. And do you know what the government says? The government refuses to ACKNOWLEDGE anything is wrong at all. They talk about the 'Golden Period the country's witnessed in their 5 year rule'. Sorry, Mr. President, but WHAT Golden Period are you talking about? How can they have the audacity to claim that 'terrorist attacks have lessened' during their democratic rule of our country? Or do the shooting incidents that take place on a daily basis in Karachi (so much so that most people, including myself, are pretty much desensitized towards them now) not categorize as terrorism? What about the violent week Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's just been through? What about the attacks on the Pakistan Air Force bases (which are supposedly the most secured areas in the country)? I'm no political expert, heck I just started reading the newspaper PROPERLY this month, but I'm not blind, aren't all these attacks acts of terrorism? Everything you see or read or hear about points to just one thing...the country's gradual slide into madness.
Whatever happened to justice and security of the lives and properties of Pakistani citizens (and NOT just the politicians and parliamentarians)? And government spokesmen try to avert the blame from the ruling party, talking about how there are lots of other factors involved, talking about how we need to assemble together and pray for this country (which I'm sure many of us already DO), talking about the 'external forces that are threatening the beloved nation and how we need to stand united against them'. God, we already KNOW all this! We KNOW nations need to be united, but how do we implement the government's brilliant suggestion? Aren't THEY the policy-makers? Don't they realize that simply 'standing united' won't be enough? What are we, the ordinary people, supposed to do? Hold protests and demonstrations? Against WHO? Those two unknown armed assailants on their speedy motorbike? I don't see how that will fix anything. They've already proved they're not afraid of anything or anyone.
I don't trust these politicians. I don't trust anyone anymore, least of all Asif Ali Zardari, our tax-evading president. They deny that 7-12 BILLION RUPEES are lost to corruption everyday. And they do so with so much confidence and self-assurance that you end up doubting yourself and the news. So what if the figure is outrageous? Corruption happens on every level in the government, everyone knows that. My professor told me that it's virtually impossible to not bribe or accept bribes when you're working in any kind of government position. My grandfather tells me all the shit that goes down in Civil Aviation. I trust my professor, and I trust my grandfather.
I know teachers in my university (a government institution) that don't know anything about educating young minds, least of all the subject they're supposed to be teaching in the first place, and despite the honest feedback we dutifully write down in our feedback forms, those same incompetent FRUSTRATING teachers return to the classroom year after year. How in the world do they manage to keep their jobs? Well placed 'sources' no doubt. And everyone, of course, knows about our corrupt police force. They seem ready to accept money and favours at the drop of a hat.
This is not what Mohammad Ali Jinnah wanted for this country. I feel so ashamed. I feel so helpless. Mostly though, I'm scared for myself, for my family, and for my friends. I'm so glad the Quaid isn't alive today, if he was, if he was a witness to what's happening in Pakistan today, it would have broken his heart beyond repair.
Consider this,11 people died in Karachi today according to Dawn.com (http://dawn.com/2012/12/25/karachi-violence-claims-seven-lives-3/), but that's nothing unusual, right? Pick up the City News ANY DAY of the week, and rest assured you'll find at least three or four violent deaths (murders? target killings? Is there a difference?), if not more. And it's always the same 'two unknown armed men on a motorcycle' who descend out of nowhere, do their dirty work and always manage to 'escape', to 'flee the scene of the crime'. And do you know what the government says? The government refuses to ACKNOWLEDGE anything is wrong at all. They talk about the 'Golden Period the country's witnessed in their 5 year rule'. Sorry, Mr. President, but WHAT Golden Period are you talking about? How can they have the audacity to claim that 'terrorist attacks have lessened' during their democratic rule of our country? Or do the shooting incidents that take place on a daily basis in Karachi (so much so that most people, including myself, are pretty much desensitized towards them now) not categorize as terrorism? What about the violent week Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's just been through? What about the attacks on the Pakistan Air Force bases (which are supposedly the most secured areas in the country)? I'm no political expert, heck I just started reading the newspaper PROPERLY this month, but I'm not blind, aren't all these attacks acts of terrorism? Everything you see or read or hear about points to just one thing...the country's gradual slide into madness.
Whatever happened to justice and security of the lives and properties of Pakistani citizens (and NOT just the politicians and parliamentarians)? And government spokesmen try to avert the blame from the ruling party, talking about how there are lots of other factors involved, talking about how we need to assemble together and pray for this country (which I'm sure many of us already DO), talking about the 'external forces that are threatening the beloved nation and how we need to stand united against them'. God, we already KNOW all this! We KNOW nations need to be united, but how do we implement the government's brilliant suggestion? Aren't THEY the policy-makers? Don't they realize that simply 'standing united' won't be enough? What are we, the ordinary people, supposed to do? Hold protests and demonstrations? Against WHO? Those two unknown armed assailants on their speedy motorbike? I don't see how that will fix anything. They've already proved they're not afraid of anything or anyone.
I don't trust these politicians. I don't trust anyone anymore, least of all Asif Ali Zardari, our tax-evading president. They deny that 7-12 BILLION RUPEES are lost to corruption everyday. And they do so with so much confidence and self-assurance that you end up doubting yourself and the news. So what if the figure is outrageous? Corruption happens on every level in the government, everyone knows that. My professor told me that it's virtually impossible to not bribe or accept bribes when you're working in any kind of government position. My grandfather tells me all the shit that goes down in Civil Aviation. I trust my professor, and I trust my grandfather.
I know teachers in my university (a government institution) that don't know anything about educating young minds, least of all the subject they're supposed to be teaching in the first place, and despite the honest feedback we dutifully write down in our feedback forms, those same incompetent FRUSTRATING teachers return to the classroom year after year. How in the world do they manage to keep their jobs? Well placed 'sources' no doubt. And everyone, of course, knows about our corrupt police force. They seem ready to accept money and favours at the drop of a hat.
This is not what Mohammad Ali Jinnah wanted for this country. I feel so ashamed. I feel so helpless. Mostly though, I'm scared for myself, for my family, and for my friends. I'm so glad the Quaid isn't alive today, if he was, if he was a witness to what's happening in Pakistan today, it would have broken his heart beyond repair.
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