Pakistan, its politics, its people, and its system is slipping into despair. Most Pakistanis are appalled and embarrassed by the attack on the Sri Lankan team. Eye-witnesses, traders, and citizens are upset. But what can they do? While we all cringe at Indian media’s onslaught against Pakistan, and our sense of hospitality gets a harsh blow by comments from Chris Broad, what is it that we can do and say to make the world realize? Realize that we are not the fanatics the world is thinking we are, that our country has a great deal to offer even now, and that we really really appreciated the Sri Lankans who stood by us, and we wanted them protected. But its not the world’s fault. When elected representatives of the people cannot realise what the people want, how can the world know it? It is simply not possible.
Then why is it that Pakistanis continue to choose or allow one non-representing representative after another? For one thing, education has never been allowed to breathe in Pakistan, let alone be given the chance and time to develop into sense. But another major lacking seems to be a continuous identity crisis. Who is a Pakistani, what does it mean to be a Pakistani. Does anyone have any idea? Perhaps at the time Pakistan was created we relied on an identity so inherently alien to daily lives that we were not able to connect it to our inner personalities. After that, its all been downhill. With an obligation to uphold certain sensibilities in order to secure a place in the after life, people of Pakistan have been buffeted from one side to other. Utterly confused, with a vacuum where it really matters. And whenever there is a vacuum, an empty vessel jittery and unstable, it easily and forcefully fills with whatever comes its way.
Confused, cast away, and castrated, the Pakistani wanders. What will come next, he seemingly has no power to understand, prevent or change.
Is it too late to change this?
i am afraid the problem is much more than just identity crisis. its the lack of morality in pakistani society. after decades of oppression and repression, we are now deep into a moral crisis which is engulfing our society. that’s the mother of all problems which we tend to overlook. its not just the politicians who have no moral values or principles (and they call it reconciliation, NRO or flexibility in politics) but the entire society, generally, has the same problem. even the same people who are actually suffering (lower middle class or the 54 million living below poverty line) would waste no time in taking what’s not rightfully theirs, when they get a chance.
Unless the 90%+ people who are really suffering (the fruit sellers, shop keepers, mechanics, farmers etc etc) decide to do something about their lives…. we will remain in a crisis of injustice and inaction, a crisis of silence and acquiescence. everything else happening around us is just a by-product
I see your point, a sense of morality or a lack of it to be accurate has a great deal to do with actions. Or the lack of action. Why I pointed out to identity, is because I am linking it to a set of principles, which by some can be understood as morality. A set of principles to live up to, to represent, to stand for. It is crucial that we figure out who we are, in order to realize what we should do. And once we know, maybe some will be stirred to do more, be more.
In response to your piece, I may add that ever since its caesarean birth our country has been striving hard for an identity. Successive governments, irrespective of their identities have failed in providing the people base and space to take off and find a place. Both our representatives and adventurers have jointly driven us away from having an identity. The nation after having experienced incredible governments with regular interval stands at the abyss of insecurity. Eventually, we have been made vulnerable to the insular world around to label us the way they please.
I am afraid to opine that the DAWNNEWS message, “Unity, Faith and Discipline…………..and bring back the identity” invites one to ask “Did we ever take these words as a binding force towards an identity?”