Would you like to know why your electricity goes for hours? Why the prices of everything are rising? Why your parents don't let you go to places?
Because we're at war, people.
I remember reading about this long line of ordinary guys standing, waiting to pay their monthly electricity bill. It's hot. VERY hot. And most of them have been there for a really long time. And then this brand-new corolla comes up and a woman-wearing expensive clothes-gets out. She walks to the front, asks the guy if she can pay her bill first, and he lets her. And no one in the back of the line complains. Tolerance.
Did I mention that this happened in Pakistan?
If you read the newspaper or skim through the headlines like I do, you'd know what a mob of residents lynched two guys who were trying to snatch a car from a guy at gunpoint in Karachi.
And yes, they killed one of the two guys after beating them both up.
For this to happen in Pakistan, where people are very tolerant of almost anything..
It just shows how close people are to snapping. Pick any person in Pakistan. We are, after all-and I shall say this with a total lack of modesty-some of the most hospitable people in the world. Now you take electricity away from the person whom you picked.
Okay. We'll buy a UPS or a generator if we can. A few re-chargable lights.. if we can.
Or some candles.
Give that person electricity back, and he'll go to the mosque and pray.
Or maybe not.
Now don't give that person electricity, and this is what he'll do.
Next, you increase the prices of every single commodity and utility that you can think of. By taxing them. And you give that money to people who already have more money than they want.
What'll the person do?
And then you make the person live in fear. How? Simple. Bomb a few places. Get them to distrust their armed forces. Get the police to focus on stopping the bombs from exploding and unleash robbers.
What do you get? Pakistan.
Now if you manage to do it with every single person-including the ones who are well-off and can live through the price increases, then congratulations. You have a very, very unpredicatable and worried society which can do anything.
Anything.
Now all that society will need after that is a single spark. Just one little thing, and they will revolt. We're not there yet. But with every single second of no-electricity, no-internet, rising prices (gas prices going up next!), and worsening halaath/security, we're getting there. Like the incident with the two robbers shows us.
I'm not surprised that they killed them. People have a limit. Expect it to get a whole lot worse. I'm not being pessimistic. This is life.
And before you start cursing the police, armed forces or politicians, hold it.
Look around you. You have internet. You have a house to live in. You have electricity. Your parents feed you. You go to school. What gives you the right to judge someone else?
Have you lived a day in the life of a cop in Karachi? No. They're not paid as much as they should be. They have families too. They have bills to pay too. I personally know four cops who do two jobs just to make ends meet. Even when they're on the street, standing around doing nothing, they're still there. Would you rather not have a single cop on the street? They don't have the manpower or enough weaponry to police Karachi. It's that simple. They're not even paid enough to be motivated. Yeah, committment and all that blah blah. Ask your parents this: If they both earned twenty thousand a month, would they be able to pay every bill and still have enough for all the treats that you get?
Just one person cannot change the entire police force. They need MOTIVATION.
What gives you the right to judge the police?
The armed forces-army, navy, air force-swore to protect us. Their track history and their determination is ALL that keeps a foreign power from invading us. I'm not just talking about India. No one in the world wants Pakistan to have nuclear weapons. Yes, I'm talking about America and Israel and all. We're the only Muslim country in the world to have nuclear weapons. They're scared of us. Period. Be grateful that your armed forces are there. Many of them are from poor families, and they are trained enough to fight. You can trust them. They are the ones who will fight for our tomorrow. For our lives, they give theirs.
What gives you the right to judge the armed forces?
The politicians. Sigh.
They care for themselves and themselves only. They will answer for their greed and crimes one day-but until that day, all that they want is power, money, and alcohol.
You have every right to judge a politician.
But. You. Have. No. Right. To. Judge. Anyone. Else.
This is my city and my country. Yes, it's yours too.
One day, I will return from America with my Bachelor's degree in Engineering.
When that time comes, I will take the Civil Service exam-the CSS-and I will ace it.
When I do that, I will begin to change Pakistan.
And I expect you to help me.
Together, we will rebuild and renew.
I decided not to go for world politics. I decided not to go for peace in Palestine. I decided to work for peace in Pakistan.
Together, we will rebuild and renew.
Dramatic much, don't you think?
