Daily Times

A part of me dies when I drive through the slums in Lahore, and it makes me question; why are we privileged enough to drive fancy cars, wear designer clothes and live in mansions, and what wrong did these people do? It pains my soul when I see beautiful children living in slums built on garbage dumps, mostly surrounded by sewage lakes. These children wake up in a world entirely different from ours, a world that is dirty, unhygienic, with no basic facilities. Let us imagine living in those impoverished shanties, standing in a long line crowding along a single water tap waiting for few drops of water to quench our thirst, imagine being that young child who is literally left on the streets to fend for himself. My heart bleeds at the picture that conjures up in my mind when I think about the day to day lives of these slum dwellers. Most of them, are engaged in managing their daily lives by doing hard labour and construction work, and living below the poverty line. Their children dying of cholera and dengue have no hope left and no option but to prepare themselves to be buried in the graveyard. These helpless parents have no access to quality medical assistance for their children or themselves. They have not only been denied health facilities or shelter but also the right to hope and dream. I see their hopes being shattered in to pieces when I see them sitting nearby a traffic light begging for help. Few coins would do them no good, why do we not understand that?

Pakistan’s constitution guarantees right to education, yet millions in our country do not go to schools. We have more restaurants and boutiques on the MM Alam road in Lahore than schools. Our political leaders have the time and the luxury to dine out in a newly-opened restaurant or shop at a designer’s shop but do not have enough funds to set up a strong and cohesive public education system. They would spend millions on their political meetings and functions, perhaps more than that if somebody from Turkey or China is coming to visit them, but will not give relief to an old person lying on a plank in the Mayo hospital, breathing his last breaths. I recently read that the government in Punjab has promised to issue health insurance cards to the poor, I ask them, do you really mean it, or is it just another stunt?

The masses of Pakistan are sick of promises, broken promises; they want to rebuild Pakistan, Jinnah’s Pakistan, where peace and equality prevails. As the elections are approaching, we all are hoping for a change, a positive change; the country is in dire need of a leadership that transform their lives, reform the current system, and eradicate corruption from all strata of the society. The eyes of Pakistanis, especially the youth, are set on Imran’s Khan Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, a party that is the country’s only harbinger of hope.

Pakistan was not made for its powerful elite, for the corrupt leaders or officials who have sucked up all its resources and money and accumulated wealth for their future generations. Those who have exploited and abused the country’s resources must be held accountable, must be summoned to the courts. Why is it that some citizens became rich overnight? How did they manage to afford Mercedes X Class and huge villas when their previous generations were living on meager means? It is disturbing indeed, but unfortunately, that is the reality. It can be fixed only if we do away with corruption in our society that is destroying its very fabric.

We should not ignore the poor in Pakistan who is coping with the vicissitudes of daily life; let us give him and his family a chance to have a decent living. Pakistan’s dilemma is that our leaders sign international human rights treaties and other conventions, and that remains the highlight for them. They fail miserably when it comes to the implementation and putting the letter and spirit of such treaties into practice. We have signed the Convention Against the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, yet discriminatory practices are continuously on the rise; we are a signatory of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, and notwithstanding that Pakistan has been ranked 33rd on the list of corrupt states according to the Transparency International in 2012 as opposes to 44th a year before that. We have agreed to the Millennium Development Goals and we are still far from meeting them; poverty is rampant as the prices of basic necessities such as electricity, wheat and rice have gone up, and education is not being imparted to every citizen, which is a basic right.

Moreover, Pakistan is faced with severe water crises, and the United Nations is giving it a chance to discuss the trans-boundary water issues at the water cooperation forum, yet many officials and people are oblivious of it. We all know that the dilemma of water scarcity is going to haunt us in the future.

Another massive problem, terrorism in this country is leading to atrocious and brutal killings of the innocent. Who will implement the anti-terrorism bill, which is the need of the hour? Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, can we count on you?

My humble request to all politicians and leaders of this country is please don’t turn Pakistan into a graveyard. Please think about us too, and the masses of the country, who are struggling day in and day out. Pakistan our homeland, our most prized possession, is definitely on the verge of falling apart; save it from any further destruction. Let us all hope that elections in May this year bring the change that we all are looking for.

The writer is a lawyer at the Research Society of International Law