We the “BAD GUYS”

This weekend, like any other weekend, I was doing my routine labour of switching over channels on TV. For an occasion, I hold my finger tip on an Indian channel. There was a late night comedy show coming over. I must say that the guy has something in him that kept me from pressing that button. He was an effortless comedian. Starting up with imitating Indian actors he came to the topic that became the reason for me writing this piece. He started making fun of “The Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed”.

He took a forged Hafiz Saeed on line. The guy on the line said that because of the incessant bomb attacks and drone strikes in Pakistan even he doesn’t feel safe in the country and wants to come to India as soon as possible. Weird enough but that raised my curiosity to watch this show more. I searched YouTube to watch the previous episodes and find that most of his jokes loop around Pakistan. Another thing that I observed on this website was, when I searched for India, the top searches were: India joins the space race, Indian mobile industry booming etc. But when I moved over to Pakistan, the result was quite on the contrary. The searches came down such as Balochistan Insurgency, battle of Swat valley, Pakistan double cross on terrorism and so on.

This difference of attitude makes you ponder that is this way the outer world takes us and if yes, then why that is so. I mean alright we do bad things. We take bribe from every nook and corner; we lie, don’t follow court orders, ditch each other and yes, our debts are even bigger than our pockets. Moreover we break laws the way no one else can even think of. But, still do we deserve to be called a terrorist nation? Are we the “Bad Guys”?

The answer couldn’t be yes. Because when you walk outside your door you can still find people who are kind to you. People who work hard for their kids, people who are honest, not all of them but we can safely say that morality and genuineness has still not entirely vanished from this part of the land. Where on one side there are people who scoff at beggars and eunuchs passing by. There are also those who leave their seats for senior citizens. Yes, there are people who do eve-teasing on the streets but there are the ones as well who open a door for a woman.

Majority of us can not read and write but our youth has enough knowledge of the ongoing politics and social issues. The pain and suffering has taught us a lot. Our literacy rate is less than 10 percent but we know our own flaws and we can learn from them. Fantasy you may call it, but if we know how to tow the whole month in a meagre sum of money in hand and having the distress of load-shedding, shortage of water, wheat and sugar and other day-to-day crisis in bonus, we can work on our weaknesses as well.

We have problems but we know how to deal with it. Our system is plagued but it’s just we who have the cure. Only we can make the way out from this labyrinth. We know we have made this a mess but whenever it happened, we will be the one who clean it up. So, you can say that we are a careless, illiterate, fanatic, aggressive, and a bit cynical nation but you know that’s how we are!

10 Quick Fixes to Pakistan

1. Throw the garbage into a dustbin. I know we are not living in a state where we could afford or even think of having trash bins at every nook and corner of a street, but just for the sake of saving our off springs from some unheard and incurable diseases, maintain cleanliness to your extent. To start with something, bring home the cans and burger boxes with you whilst coming back from an outdoor exertion and give it the place it deserve.

2. No matter how stupid it sounds but yes switching off the light as you come out of your room can help in overcoming a large fraction of energy crisis we are facing.

3. Water hydrates the skin; it doesn’t mean that the water going into the drain unused will help in anyway getting that perfect glow. Realize that you are wasting a lifesaving resource that could quench the thirst of many, if you use it responsibly. Every drop counts so you better don't let the faucet run while you are soaping up.

4. We all know corruption has deeply seeped into every stratum of the society and is very much common in our daily lives but still once in a blue moon saying no to that under-the-table deal doesn’t really cost you much.

5. Let’s accept the fact that bypassing meters, meter-tampering and direct hooking on the electricity poles or in common terms using “kunda” are all electricity thefts and a very serious crime. The fact that everyone else is doing it very conveniently makes it more irresistible to holdback. But if everyone else is going into the gutter that doesn’t mean that you are also ought to follow them.

6. Work, work and only work. This is not me; this is what our Quaid said before bestowing this land to us. But alright giving some space to our life-is-to-enjoy theory, at least just don’t sit idol in the parks for hours with your better or better-not half to watch the birds fly. I mean at the end of it you never know what she is actually looking at.

7. Stop behaving irrationally. We know that we are so exhausted and helpless by the never ending train of problems rushing to us that we never miss a chance to puff out our frustration. But that doesn’t mean that you set your neighbor’s car on fire just because your telephone bill exceeds your expectations.

8. Stop fighting on non-issues. Religion, ethnicity, caste, social values and political philosophy could also be followed without abusing the other person’s beliefs. Anyone who can see an angle other than yours is not your enemy. Give yourself a break. Think in a broader perspective and accept that we all are different and therefore we think and behave differently. If He can give us that privilege than who are we pointing out fingers on each other?

9. Start saying truth to yourself. Yes we are living in an “Islamic Republic” but that is not actually who we are. After thinking about all the above mentioned characteristics that we have, it’s hard to say that we are in any way better or any notch above than the non-Islamic republicans. It’s difficult to say that even after becoming accustomed to all worst possible ways of leading a life we’ll ended up in heaven. But to see the brighter side, it also doesn’t mean that nothing could be done about it.

10. Love and respect, that’s all we need from each other. No matter how vulnerable we are and whatever we have done to this place, we still belong to it. Your own cottage is always more contented than someone else’s kingdom. Stay here and make this a better place to live!