It is indeed very pleasantly surprising to witness the Pakistani people flooding out onto the streets of Islamabad in waves since the 14th of August 2014 in pursuit of their dream of a new beginning. Personally speaking, I had lost all faith in our people in terms of their sense of self assertiveness. The people of Pakistan have finally chosen to stand against the politico military oligarchic rule that had been drilling holes in the country’s foundations since its establishment. The people of this country have suffered long enough! In their tears I have witnessed the marks of oppression of many generations and the loss of self worth and dignity!
The people have spoken and are finally being assertive in demanding their civil birthrights as Pakistanis. Today, in their eyes I see the sparks of hope! In their smiles I see the vision of a bright future! In their chants I hear the calling of a new beginning! In their dance I see the euphoric enchantment of a rare and priceless drug called freedom! The absence of freedom of thought and expression has been the hallmark character of our nation. Living in optimistic denial of sorts has hindered our growth as a civilization. The winds of change are blowing in and the new generation of Pakistanis are demanding their civil rights at the expense of the comfort of this hoax of a democracy that we live in.
How we admire the Ali brothers for their struggles and sacrifices in raising awareness among the Muslims of the subcontinent through the Khilafat Movement. Their demands from the British Raj were no different than what the people of Pakistan are demanding today. The only difference is that the new Gora Sahab is brown and more dangerous because he himself is a slave to the Gora Sahab with a mission to enslave the vast majority of the underprivileged population of Pakistan.
Whether Imran Khan or Tahir Ul Qadri are pawns in a larger political game is irrelevant; there can be no controversy in the fact that the people want change, and they want it now! Not just a change of face, but actual reforms in education, economic, financial, legal and political systems. The people are desperate enough to follow anyone who would raise their concerns and promise them their rights as equal citizens of Pakistan. With the recent floods that have submerged a greater part of our country, it is becoming clearer than ever that our systems have failed us! To my utmost horror,in the recent news, I heard of a man who refused to be saved by the rescue teams along with others of his community because he couldn’t imagine a life without his 10 cows that would be left behind to drown. He chose to share their fate rather than putting his trust in our Government because he knew that all his life’s earnings would drown along with all his hopes and dreams. I am unable to shake off an intense feeling of guilt as an educated and privileged member of this socially and morally battered society.
To all those passivist supporters of the current system who claim utmost sincerity to Pakistan, I ask one simple question: What is Pakistan to you? Is Pakistan just a piece of earth that you worship? Or does Pakistan represent the colorful diversity of a nation that has been wronged? can you walk the streets of your city and look the daily wage workers in their eyes and still hold your stance on supporting this system that doesn’t even allow them the dignity of having the basic necessities of life?
The daily evening news is witness to people committing suicide because of the extreme economic and financial stress that continues to escalate as inflation is on the rise. The only economic indicator in Pakistan that shows exponential growth is inflation! To add salt to our wounds our Finance Ministers concoct strange baskets of goodies to come up with positive economic indicators to submit to the World Bank and IMF. All this to prove that the previous loans have helped in raising the GDP and the overall economy of Pakistan to in turn justify their requests for fresh loans.
I guess with all the suicides and targeted killings we won’t really need to adopt a population control policy. The leaders can just sit and watch the rates in the growth of population decrease (as suicide rates rise) and the rate of inflation increases. In most countries population control takes on a slightly different approach! But hey this is Pakistan!
In Pakistan it is acceptable for the Prime minister and parliamentarians to lie in the parliament and to their own people. We accept their lies and acknowledge their mockery of the entire population with the pacifying apologetic justifications in support of the prevailing failed system. the criminal silence from the educated majority of Pakistanis has proven to harm Pakistan more than ever. Today when the people stand against this corruption these apologists, who themselves acknowledge the corruption of these leaders, try to hide behind the falsity of a democratic ideology that had mocked the population of Pakistan for close to seven decades now.
Well the time for apologies is over, and the bells of change are ringing. History is being made in front of our eyes and there is only one question to ask of ourselves: which side of history do I stand with and wish to be remembered by?
