Daily Times

Election season has departed. The newly constituted government is looking to climb the political saddle. PTI has swept the elections all across Pakistan. The slogan of PTI (Naya Pakistan) has worked. The nation is expecting an immense wave of change in Pakistan. The inhabitants of Pakistan have built their mindset on the rationale that the fate of Pakistan is in the hands of the political leadership. A chunk of the population expects that only Imran Khan can avert misfortune. Likewise, another chunkpart is in a state of mourning,  claiming that if Nawaz Sharif’s tenure was completed was completed, he would have formed a new Pakistan. The tragedy of our nation is that it associates its hopes with political leaders and system.

Along with it, criticism is at its peak by  individuals belonging to previous governments. The nation is busy discrediting  political parties. These tendencies are the norm in the country when it comes to heaping scorn on others. It is democracy that emancipates us to extract flaws from our leadership. We ought to do this, and we do so at our best. But before peeping into fallacies commited by others, have we ever subjected ourselves to introspection?  Decidedly not!

We must do this, yet we refrain from doing so. Perhaps this is an uphill task for us. When it comes to turmoil, we complain that the system is at fault. Like charity, introspection also begins at home. We just go on accusing others of wreaking havoc in the country.

In that respect, there has been a shift towards more introspective individuals emerging but the majority lags and accuses the government of incompetency.

For instance, when an individual takes charge of the clerk’s position. If any operative has to seek his services, he would blame inefficiency due to red tape, indicating that a bribe may speed things up.  Though he is charging the government already. Now, who is that clerk?  That clerk represents the nationt that anticipates a wave of change. That clerk celebrates when leaders are chastised for corruption. Is the corruption prohibited only for those, who take only reins of the state?

Karachi is the largest urban center in Pakistan. Regrettably, it is among one of the filthiest cities globally. Sindh government is responsible for that havoc up to a certain degree. Beyond that degree, citizens of Karachi are also responsible. Chewing betel is their culture. No one challenges their culture. But the misery is, they spit betel everywhere.

Rivers, canals are a boon to our agriculture system. We are conflating them, by throwing garbage into them. Who is responsible for such sort of deeds?

When a slum is messy, and someone questions that, the response from the dwellers will invariably be to attack the municipal committee . Yes, the municipal committee plays a role but doesn’t some responsibility fall onto other stakeholders too?

The need of the hour is to amend ourselves first. If we introspect, we shall witness change in the country spontaneously. Allama Iqbal has stipulated, “God has never altered the destiny of the nations unless they bother about their change.” This statement represents our misery because we are expecting change in the country without bringing change to ourselves. We must realize that national change is not the responsibility of any one leader. It is the nation that can announce a new wave of change in the country.

When it comes to smearing the system, we happily put the cart before the horse to reprimand the system. Yet we neglect to remember that that we play a theatrical role in that organization. We choose leaders who reflect us.  How, then, do we expect change?

In such a case, neither Nawaz Sharif nor Imran Khan are angels and will not be able to amend us, unless we choose to do so. We must realize that on many fronts, we are guilty.  We, as a unit, must start amending our ways. Only then shall Pakistan tread the path of dignity. It is time to revolutionize ourselves.