The Pakistani Spectator

The nation clamors for democracy but do they know what it means and what it entails. What sort of a democracy can we expect in a nation where our characters are much like a chameleon that changes so many colors? In a nation where there are so many hypocrites and so many liars and thieves, it is naïve to expect that things can change for the good anytime soon. The simple change of a system would mean nothing unless the people reform themselves and improve their characters. As yet the people lack in courtesy and in the will to serve. We love to backbite and talk bad about people. As it is we frequently display jealousy; we don’t like to see other people grow or prosper. We are all to an extent materialistic and lost in pleasures that are an anathema to Islam.

Islam means total submission to the will of the Creator. However we have decided to live lives that are an amalgamation of Islamic and Hindu cultures and philosophies. Add a tinge of western culture and traditions and you have a new religion. Our role models need to people who have made a positive and constructive impact upon the world. However ask most people over here and you will get answers such as Shahrukh Khan and many other Bollywood Actresses and Actors. What about people such as ‘Einstein’, ‘Allama Iqbal’, ‘Quaid-e-Azam’, the Prophet Muhammad (Sm), etc etc.. There are so many of them.

As a Muslim I am sure that there you will find very few Muslims if any who have not missed their obligatory prayers. There are so many who call themselves Muslims and they enjoy interest payments on their money placed in banks. Many of us may make trips to the Holy Land and perform Umra or Haj, yet so often it does not make any worthwhile impact upon them. Though God is to Judge them yet the purpose of religion is to transform societies. Therefore if we had been true Muslims, then our societies would perhaps not suffered from so many social evils as it does today especially in Pakistan. Vice should be checked and social evils need to be eradicated from a society in order for a pure and God fearing society to prosper in its true and correct form. Discipline, merit, accountability and the enforcement of law are needed in order for societies to prosper. Without that the law of the jungle will prevail in the entire society.

The moral fabric of the society needs to be replenished. Social evils such as prostitution, pornography, black magic, dealing in drugs, homosexuality, etc. need to be checked immediately. Education should be made compulsory for each boy and girl, man and woman. Men and women in government and in positions of power should be treated as ordinary criminals if they are found guilty of abusing their privileges and if they are found to have embezzled money or misappropriated public funds for their own use. Unless and until, those in power are not checked and held accountable, corruption will have a free reign in politics and other aspects of society.

The acquisition of knowledge in itself is a form of Jihad or striving in the way of God. Every good act that we do is in itself a worship of Allah. The raising of an orphan, the setting up of any establishment that benefits mankind, raising your voice against evil, injustice and any evil thing can also be categorized under Jihad or striving in Allahs way. Looking after or caring for the sick, the poor and the needy and the payment of Zakat and Charity are also acts of kindness that fall under the Worship of God. Smiling at some one or helping anyone when they are in trouble also symbolizes worship. The act of reading and understanding the Quran and acting upon the injunctions mentioned in the Holy Book are also a form of worship. All these good deeds are liked by the Supreme Creator. It is said that all good thoughts are from Allah and the bad and evil ones are from the Devil.

However we the Muslims are focusing too much upon keeping long beards or on wearing of Hijab which is Sunnah and not obligatory. Moreover Islam despises the hypocrites. We should try to live our lives according to the injunctions of Islam. And the only way we can do is by reading and understanding the Holy Quran. The problem today is that we may read a Surah or Chapter from the Quran but rarely do we try to act upon the injunctions mentioned. Many women may go to learn the Quran but the question is that are they focusing upon the injunctions and commandments mentioned in the Holy Quran.

We have to focus on spiritual development and also upon the acquisition of knowledge that will help us improve our status and position in this world as well. If we are to become true Muslims, we have to learn to become humble and not arrogant. We have to learn to love and not to hate. We have to become tolerant of other faiths and human beings. It is essential to learn to give to the poor and not to become miserly which is what God does not like.

Our present societal setup is far from being a proper Islamic system. I am ashamed to acknowledge that we have become a country of deviants. Everything that has been condemned in Islam has become a part and parcel of our lives. We have failed not only to build a society based upon Quranic injunctions but one where the people can be stated to be humans. With each passing day, the nation drifts towards further chaos. We are water stressed, over populated nation that faces power shortages and gas shortages as well. The Mangla Dam has been shut down owing to falling water levels.

Most of the people in Pakistan are too faced and corrupt. Corrupt societies are blessed with corrupt rulers and a multitude of social and economic problems.

Pakistan’s involvement in the US war on terror has perhaps cost us more than really benefiting us at all. A nexus of Indian, American and Israeli agencies are sponsoring all the terror in the country. What do we do ? Like the good servants that we are we offer our army to battle the good and bad Taliban and the Al-Qaeda. The USA praises our government and says that it will help us economically sustain our economy. What they do is not to give us any grants but IMF  loans with terms and conditions that are destined to make life hell for the citizens of the nation. Our politicians keep quiet because for all I know they have been paid off by the CIA. They have sold their faith, honor and integrity. They have also caused and triggered the multitude of problems that the nation faces today. Still each damn minister, bureaucrat and politician draws a salary of 120,000 US dollars each month. Now that is a damn shame considering the fact that Pakistan’s economy has sit rock bottom similar to ‘Titanic’.

During General Musharrafs rule, so many innocent people belonging to different provinces were handed over to the USA stating that they belonged to Al-Qaeda and Taliban. The government acted like bounty hunters and collected money from the US Government for that. So many of them disappeared without a trace. The cries of their parents have failed to evoke any action from the government. If we have tyrants and oppressors in the establishment, our first action should be to wage war against the source of all such oppression and tyranny.

Are we going to become another Palestine or Afghanistan is the question. One thing is for sure no Messiah is going to lead us out of this predicament. This is a catch 22 situation that we are in at the moment. Money is needed to sustain the economy. The IMF is a recipe for economic disaster. Why could we have not found alternative sources of capital? As we continue to hike prices of fuel and other utilities, life become tougher and tougher for the citizens of the country. As fuel prices rise so will the prices of fertilizer and consequently that of food commodities.

During recessions, incomes are low and unemployment rates are high. As nations come out of a recession, it remains to be seen who will be willing to invest in Pakistan. As incomes don’t grow as fast as the expenses are currently, the people have less and less of disposable income.

But that is not all. Take into consideration the plight of those who are living below the poverty line in Pakistan. How will they manage to survive? How can poverty be alleviated if persistent development does not take place? There are 40 million children aged 5-19 years out of any form of formal education. If this is the future of Pakistan, then we are done for.

If fuel prices continue to rise as they are then we may be riding around in horse or donkey driven carts. During the hot summers and long periods of load shedding, the government may suggest wearing as few clothes as possible to beat the heat. One doesn’t know what would happen in case of intense water shortages.

The only way for the people is to demonstrate and protest. A form of protest against rise in food essentials could be to refuse to buy flour, rice, sugar, pulses,etc for a week.  Most of the mills are owned by our corrupt politicians. Therefore a way of damaging their interests could be in this way. The public has to unite and protest on the streets if necessary. Otherwise there will be no end to this nightmare.