Daily Times

Last Thursday, the US celebrated Thanksgiving Day. I was lucky enough to spend it in Lahore with a part of my family visiting from the US, and for that I am indeed thankful. We are mostly preoccupied with the toils and the troubles that we face in our daily lives but it is worthwhile to try and find things that we should be thankful for, especially in Pakistan where it seems that the country is always on the verge of catastrophe. Even so, the country still runs and things get done. But poverty, corruption, mismanagement, illiteracy and other ills are still there and are going to be around for a while.

For a change then, let us stop and think of all the people who put in an honest day’s work every working day. The people who clean our streets, the domestic help, the daily wage workers who do back breaking labour and end up building almost everything that stands around us and the farmers who put in hours longer than most of us can imagine to feed us and our families. What about the people in the service industries, transportation and in the factories that keep our economy moving, the small businessmen, the roadside cafe owners and the vegetable vendors who bring food and basic supplies to ordinary people at an affordable price? And let us not forget the housewives who keep our homes clean, our kitchens humming and who bring up our children. They all deserve our thanks.

Then there are the small time bureaucrats and functionaries much maligned and often accused of corruption and mismanagement, yet it is these people who keep the country going. This includes clerks and other low level public workers in our offices and our courts without whom nothing could ever get done and, if they stopped working, the entire country would come to a stop. We see them and ignore them but they are vital parts of the workforce and often the most unheralded of our workers. Thanks to them too.

And let us not forget the jawans of the Pakistani armed forces and other members of the security forces who fight against the purveyors of terror and obscurantism to keep us safe. But for them we in our big houses and drawing rooms would not have the luxury to complain about how bad things are in Pakistan. We forget that they are putting their lives on the line every day just so that we can enjoy whatever freedom we have. And for that they deserve our special thanks.

As far as our police forces are concerned, they stand between us and the criminals within society. It is our police that keeps our traffic moving and our businesses working without fear of disruption and extortion. Yes, there are many among them who are corrupt and even collaborate with criminal elements but, even so, there are many more of them who do their jobs to the best of their abilities. And this applies to all of them from the lowly ‘constable’ all the way up to the higher echelons of the service. So, thanks to those among them who keep us safe in our homes, on the streets and in our places of work.

Our healthcare workers, the young doctors, the nurses, technicians and even the ‘sweepers’ and the ward ‘boys’ who keep our public hospitals working should be mentioned. All of them work in difficult situations with a dearth of supply and equipment and yet do the best they can to help the sick who have no recourse to expensive private healthcare. But for them millions of poor and needy would go without treatment. Yes, they must also be thanked for doing what they do and for as well as they do it with the meagre facilities at their disposal.

Then there is our media, which informs us but also keeps an eye on the shenanigans of those who run this country. When I speak of the media it is not just the big guys but also all those involved in keeping the newspapers, radio and TV working. This even includes opinion writers like myself who try to make sense of what goes on and present it in what we hope is a digestible form. Yes, we all also deserve a vote of thanks!

But then, besides the ordinary people who make this country run, there are those at the top that are often maligned the most for having brought us to the sorry state we as a country are in today. But I would submit that, over the last few years, politicians, the army and the senior judiciary are all getting used to a new democratic dispensation. There is much that could be better but then much could also be worse. Both General Kayani and President Zardari, for all their disagreements and positioning for power and authority, have still kept the flickering flame of democracy alive. Both of them are vilified from the right and the left of the political spectrum for doing what they are doing yet, in their own way, they are probably doing what they think is best for this country. If, indeed, they are both working for the national good then that is something to be thankful for.

Mian Nawaz Sharif has taken on the mantle of both the senior opposition figure as well as that of an elder statesman. In spite of his political rhetoric, he has demonstrated a firm commitment to defending the democratic system against all threats. For that he deserves our thanks. Imran Khan has appeared on the scene with a ‘bang’. He has mobilised our youth and offered an alternative to the present political setup. His emergence will hopefully push the present ruling parties towards better service for the people. If that happens then he deserves my heartfelt thanks. Finally, we must all be thankful for the ‘miracle’ of life.

The writer has practiced and taught medicine in the US. He can be reached at smhmbbs70@yahoo.com