Daily Times

Sir: Thanks to the incredible story of Shabir Hussain, we were once again reminded of the incredible power that social media has over our current lives. Even though this power has usually been used in negative ways, this story takes you back to the days when social media could be a source of joy and a very helpful tool.

Hussain, a resident of Skardu had been travelling back home from Islamabad when tragedy struck. Upon arriving at his destination, he realized he had lost his bags on the way. In his distress he made a video that soon went viral. In the video, Shabir acted the way anyone in his situation would have acted, as his bag had contained not only all of his essential academic documents, but his father’s medical records as well. He wept and pleaded to whoever was listening to help him recover his bag and his tears elicited an instant response online. Within a few hours, thousands of people had already seen his plea, and even the DG ISPR got involved. Pakistanis all around the country joined hands and very soon Shabir was reunited with his bag.

This story proves the great contribution of social media in empowering the common man. Shabir could have chosen to go to the proper authorities and written a report with the police. But how often have we seen people wait for months or years on end to get justice and get nothing in return. He instead chose the power of social media, and it delivered in record time. However the sad part is that we do not comprehend the influence social media can have, as we are too busy posting pictures, fighting amongst ourselves or playing games.

Therefore my point is a simple one. I urge people to realize the change they can bring about by using this essential tool. It is the best medium through which we can voice our concerns to the people in power and hope that they listen to our pleas. The case of the missing bag proves that social media can be used for things other than pointing fingers at one another and bashing each other’s political ideologies. We can and should aspire to do better.

VASDEV HEMNANI

Mithi, Tharparkar

Published in Daily Times, June 15^th 2018.