Daily Times

It was great honour and blessing for me to spend the last week at the holy places of Islam in Saudi Arabia. All my sorrows and grief vanished when I landed at the sacred venue. Life seemed so cool and calm that I forgot all my problems. The only thing that I could remember was that I am standing in front of my creator in the holy land of the most beloved man on the earth. I couldn’t think even for a second about the political scenes of Pakistan these days. I only prayed to the Almighty to forgive the mistakes that I committed in my life. There was a wish in my heart to spend the remaining days of my life at the holy places due to the peace and calmness there. A Pakistani asked a saint to pray for him that he spend his life at Makkah and Madina as his heart is filled with love for these sacred places. The saint advised him to go to his native country to serve his nation and leave his heart here at Makkah and Madina. The days spent at both the holy places will always remain great assets of my life.

It was for the first time after the COVID-19 restrictions that the Saudi government allowed the pilgrims to perform Umrah without social distancing. The arrangements made by the Saudi government were excellent as many facilities were there for the pilgrims. It was seen that huge arrangements were made for Iftar for those who were fasting and there was no difference between poor and rich as everyone was sitting at the same place full of love and respect.

In the meanwhile, the political situation in Pakistan was also changed as a new government took the reins of the country. It is hoped that the situation will improve under the new government. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is on his maiden official foreign tour after taking the charge of his office and he also selected Saudi Arabia as his first destination for this purpose. It is hoped that the Pak-Saudi relations will be restored with this visit as Crown Prince Muhammad Bil Salman himself invited Sharif with his delegation. Some ups and downs were seen in the relationship between the two brotherly countries in the recent past due to some bad policies. It is expected that the relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will be restored and further strengthened as the Sharif family enjoys really good terms with the Saudis and it will definitely have a good impact on Pakistan too.

Hamza’s father has served Punjab three times in the past and he is quoted as one of the best administrators of this province.

It was really unfortunate that political slogans were chanted at the Mosque of the Prophet (PBUH) when the Pakistani delegation was visiting for religious rituals. Some workers hailing from a political party used very unethical words for the Pakistani dignitaries visiting Masjid-e-Nabvi. Such attitude must be discouraged keeping in view the sanctity of that holy place. I wonder how anyone can even talk of politics while performing religious rituals at holy places. The Saudi government took stern action while arresting all those involved in hooliganism as very unpleasant scenes were witnessed on the TV screen regarding that unfortunate incident. There is a dire need to discourage the polarization that we are facing in our society. Political discussions are good for the debate but we all should avoid going to the extreme as it may harm our society a lot.

Talking about another political issue in Pakistan, the largest province of the country is without its head for the last one month. Hamza Shehbaz got elected as the Chief Minister of Punjab but he is yet to take the oath of his office and the constitutional crisis is getting worse with every passing day in the province. It is hoped that Hamza will be a good administrator in comparison with his predecessor as Usman Buzdar was a complete failure. Hamza’s father has also served this province three times in the past and he is also quoted as one of the best administrators of this province. Similarly, it is hoped that Hamza will serve the people of Punjab just like his father.

Pakistan has witnessed many extremist and negative trends during the last few months when the government was being changed through a constitutional process. The political parties of Pakistan should give respect to the constitution and should cooperate with each other just for the sake of the people. We all should work together to get rid of the poverty we are facing today. The personal animosity and vendetta have damaged this country a lot and the time has come that we all must move forward in the better interest of the country. The positive image of Pakistan will be highlighted if our politicians will work democratically. The governments should be changed constitutionally and it must also be accepted by all the concerned quarters.

The politicians should also try to resolve their issues in the parliament and avoid going to the courts. It will also be good for the politicians and the trust of the people will also improve the political process.

We should reject the culture of abusing and levelling baseless allegations against each other as it may lead to negative and extremist trends in society. The negativity is a poison for personal and collective growth and therefore we all should get rid of it. All the pillars including the parliament, judiciary and executive must work collectively and positively for the prospects of Pakistan.

The writer is an old Aitchisonian who believes in freedom of expression, a freelance columnist, entrepreneur and social activist.