The corporeal existence in a graceless mix of Machiavellian, Kafkaesqune and Orwellian times presents many arcane moments to those very few people, who have no significant influence on any dimension of human development and rights and yet they continue to think about kleptocracy, oligarchy and unremitting social injustices. In an exceedingly unequal world, the solidarity shown in US, Europe, Australia and many other developed countries, against racism following the brutal murder of an American citizen George Floyd is setting a new hope. The marching and chanting millions, longing to setup an indiscriminate society and state where all poor souls can freely breathe is impressively confronting the thriving asphyxia-generating systems and structures. While glued to the TV channels bringing heart wrenching and game changing visuals and voices I started re-re -…..- diagnosing the deafening silence, surplus of ceremonial stratagems and debit of courage in the homeland. This re-re-…..-reliazation was exceptionally tormenting this time due the influence and impact of ongoing Pandemic and its convincingly uncouth and uncaring (mis)management.
Uploading the resistance poetry on social media is not only cooler but much more convenient than actually adopting those ideas in our everyday lives because this is not only dim-witted but dangerous-seriously dangerous- especially when done without any monetary gain. Our legendary Habib Jalib is the only famous Pakistani who actually lived with the values he wrote about and no power succeeded to stifle his desire to change the rules of business that logically he cannot change.
Many of us Pakistanis are largely tied to our own set of yardsticks of pragmatism. Elites of civil, military and media bureaucracies have many untold stories with different plots and protagonists, but the climax remain the same; they all compromise (by choice or under compulsion) to elevate their status and power and secure future of their near and dear ones. Their departing from the hot seats (and there are few who leave voluntarily while still alive ) and their redemption (responses range include seeking refuge into a reclusive life or religion, leaving this country and or writing an explosive memoire, becoming an enthusiastic blogger, twitter intellectual or participating in street activism) is meaningless when one looks at the irreversible damages they did- seldom seen as cognizable or should be cognizable crimes. The ugly truth is that because of them many millions of lives often casually labelled as the children of lesser God suffer in the extent that cannot be measured by diplomatically scripted speeches and write ups of any genre.
Why population and development programme shamelessly failed to convince the poor of this country to access healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy whereas many developing countries including Muslim countries effectively addressed harmful cultural practices and misinterpreted religious teachings without their glorification?
While I am still breathing I sincerely believe I must not stop communicating that silence on violence makes one an abettor a complicit too. Today I want to convey my protest (no matter how futile) to many of us Pakistanis for not doing their mandatory duties that could have reduced if not eliminated many preventable social mishaps and crimes. I am addressing you; look at the Constitution of this country-why could not you ensure that all children up to 18 years must be in schools and not in any harmful or not so harmful occupations. I want to express my unfathomable shock at your audacity -you are merely tweeting about the murder and rape of young kids in calculated words and not your assigned job. You even failed to show remorse (fake) on the absence of the adequate legislation and the rule of law. I wish to convey my severe discomfort for the disapproval of capital punishment of rapists (following a fair trial) especially child rapists (because you do not wish to earn the wrath of your personal friends and a larger donors ‘community). I want to question (knowing that likes of me not only remain unheard but jeopardize their work lives as well) that why population and development programme shamelessly failed to convince the poor of this country to access and adopt healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy whereas many developing countries including Muslim countries effectively addressed harmful cultural practices and misinterpreted religious teachings without their glorification? Why my country is always successful in the justification of the inability to deliver the desired results in all sectors affecting human development? I urge upon all powerful platforms to review their procedure for acquiring ” informed consents” and better refrain from showing the faces of young women receiving free obstetric health care and surgeries. I want to question about the sensibleness of ripping off the dignity of the downtrodden communities by photographing them during ration distribution and cash disbursement. Don’t you know you are fulfilling your obligations and not doing any act of random kindness from your own pockets?
It gives me a personal sense of deceit, defeat and disappointment (as an old time activist and somebody who once served as PTI’s Secretary Political training of central women wing )on not locating even a smaller group yet a critical mass of compassionate and community-centered political leaders who could match the likes of Ms. Mahua Mahutra MP- India, Ms. Sarah Champion MP- UK or Ms. Jacinda Ardern-PM New Zealand etc. in my legislatures.
Finally I am short of drafting any comment after detecting consent, consensus and connivance in one single piece of the news that the MNAs who are already entitled to 25 business class air tickets for traveling from their hometowns to Islamabad and back to attend the sessions of the National Assembly and standing committees can now this use (tax payer’s money) privilege for the travel expenses of their family members too. This new “subsidy” also sabotaged my plan to write about the parliamentarians of Sweden . But only likes are comparable and it remains my solecism to get skittish on neither newsworthy nor sellable issues.
The writer is a free thinker. She can be reached at [email protected]