To paraphrase Churchill. We shall fight this virus till we win.. we shall fight it in our homes, in our factories, in our shops and in our hospitals. We shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength. We shall provide for all our people, young and old, poor and rich, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight with faith, with grace, with honour and dignity. We shall fight it in the four corners of Pakistan, in our streets, in our fields, in our mountains and valleys and deserts. We shall use the great strength of our people and our resources and our faith and fight this disease, but we shall never surrender. This is the time for the great Pakistani nation to come together and do what they can, with whatever they have, wherever they are, and we will, Insha Allah prevail, but we will never give in, never give in, never give in, never, ever. There’s never been a time such as now, for Pakistanis to come together, to shed our prejudices and political biases to stop our chatter from the sidelines and join this battle, in any way we can. It is in this time of trial, despair that we must find, deep inside us the resolve and the opportunity to convert it into our Finest Hour, as individuals, as a Society and as a Nation. This is a time which our grandchildren will talk about in the decades ahead with awe and respect. A time when this great nation showed its mettle, held its nerve, offered all it can to save each other from disaster. This is the time to ask yourself what you did for your country! This is the time, as many our doing, to offer our expertise, our skills, our knowledge, our wealth, our resources and factories to fight this. This is not the time to criticize the efforts being made by those in power, simply to score political points and offer impractical advice. This is not the time, as some businesspersons group did the other day, to summarily belittle the efforts of others. This is the time for these obscenely rich people to give back to those who made them rich. Free advice and superficial criticism is easy and yes, free. It is easy, very easy to sit on the sidelines unaware of the ambiguity, uncertainty and ambivalence of what is called the “fog of war ” in the arena and the battlefield. It is easy to take pot shots at every decision, tear apart every word and phrase, micro comment every decision and action of others in the thick of battle. And it is especially easy if you are or were part of the stench and vomit era of those who looted and plundered this wretched land. It is easy to sit back in the comfort of one’s palatial homes in our affluent neighbourhoods, our kitchens fully stocked, surrounded by our obscene wealth and cry for a ‘Lockdown” as our hearts beat faster at the prospect of our own deaths, as this menace leaves everybody low, rich or poor. It is easy to comment cruelly and sadistically on social media on why the PM called it the Tiger Force, especially one particularly sick mind, who passes himself of as a media anchor. It was saddening to read critical comments and statements, from leaders of the political opposition, former Prime Ministers, Chief Ministers and others, publicly criticizing the government’s action. Statements which reeked of hypocrisy. If only these “brilliant” politicians when in power had spent their time and people’s money on the right priorities, so that there was more strength in the system, more money in the coffers, more hospitals and equipment. I think this a time of great reflection and contemplation for each one of us especially the rich and the powerful to search and seek deep inside us and find the angel, within us. We must not forget that those who sit on the tallest tree branches, feeling safe, will not survive if the very tree rots from the root and falls I think this is a time to define our own personal contract with those not as blessed with wealth, affluence, power, knowledge and opportunities. We must not forget that those who sit on the tallest tree branches, feeling safe, will not survive if the very tree rots from the root and falls. This is a challenge we all must fight with all our might and resources. The best advice today is to shut our mouths and open our wallets! What good is that wealth, that business, those factories if there’s no demand for what we produce? How quickly irrelevant it becomes whether you’re wearing a Rolex or a Timex? Whether your garage is filled with an exotic fleet or a dilapidated clunker? Whether that diamond tiara is real or zirconia? Whether your kid goes to Harvard or to a Madrassah? Whether you holiday in Majorca or Murree? Whether you live in a palatial residence or a ramshackle kutchi abadi? What good are our legions of troops and weapons, tanks, aircrafts, missiles if there’s nothing to defend? What good are those perks, privileges, benefits, palaces and wealth, whether earned or grabbed, looted and plundered, if there’s nothing left? And if we don’t unite and fight it together, then unfortunately Corona being the equal opportunity virus that it is, will spare no one! I hope and pray this thought shakes ourselves to our core. I hope our social and political contract between our rich and poor, between the administrators and the governed undergoes a complete reset! I hope and pray we are able to completely overhaul our political and governance processes in this moment of great challenge, and overthrow this rotten elite capture of our society, replacing with one, more gentle and kind. I hope in our moments of greatest despair we find strength and opportunities to reform our society, making it more equitable and fair. I hope with the new dawn rises a new Pakistan, which cares for all, not just the few and the rich. I hope in this new Pakistan, every member of this great nation enjoys the same rights, privileges, opportunities as any other, irrespective of religion, sect, caste, gender or creed. I hope Corona is our game changer, as we see death, as close as we have ever seen and make us realize how fortunate we are simply to be alive! Or, as Frederick Douglass said. *Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.* We must rise to this challenge and come out, stronger and better, creating a more just, humane and equitable society ! The writer is a Geo political commentator / blogger on National and International affairs. Formerly a media anchor, corporate leader