A usual Pakistani can often be found lamenting at the double standards of the West towards Islam in general and towards Pakistan in particular. You go sit in any gathering of respectable or not, people, and all you come across is a lot of political babble about how west is trying to manipulate the interests of the underdeveloped lot. Everyone wants the Govt. to be more vigilant towards these impending threats and work towards minimizing them. We inadvertently look towards our dictator to deliver on this front. Although everyone from a commener to a pseudo-religious-scholar has his/her point of difference about the way it should be accomplished yet they want the dictator to do this for them. Well for obvious reasons; he is the ruler afterall.
Apart from this type of criticism that one comes across in the shanty towns of this country there is another completely different form of critique that our dictator is made to suffer. And that is the home front. We lament the workings of this Govt. on the home front. We debate that all that is being done for the welfare of the nation is insufficient at the very least. A lot more needs to be done and faster.
This double critique, both at the home front and at the helm of international affairs, has been the bread and butter of this nation's get togethers. We are so engrossed in finding out faults with others that it leaves almost no time for debating our own capabilities. I agree that no one wants to come under the spot light of scrutiny. Yet there is a lot of soul searching required to be done by this nation. We need to get out of useless debate that carries us nowhere and get going in a little different direction. No drawing room of this nation of 160 million souls is used to discuss novel ideas for change or used to lay down abstract though for want of colouring by different comments it generates.
All in all we are not an active nation but a passive one where we can sit and lament at what others are doing but refrain from putting forward any solid and practical ideas. We would say that this earthquake is the rightly deserved wrath of God but not suggest and improvement in our practices vis-a-vis a little honesty in building earthquake proof structures. We can tell others that this party is not doing enough to help the quake victims but not talk about going and filling in that gap.
And if you haven't noticed then this post is a prime example of whatever I have argued in it!
Apart from this type of criticism that one comes across in the shanty towns of this country there is another completely different form of critique that our dictator is made to suffer. And that is the home front. We lament the workings of this Govt. on the home front. We debate that all that is being done for the welfare of the nation is insufficient at the very least. A lot more needs to be done and faster.
This double critique, both at the home front and at the helm of international affairs, has been the bread and butter of this nation's get togethers. We are so engrossed in finding out faults with others that it leaves almost no time for debating our own capabilities. I agree that no one wants to come under the spot light of scrutiny. Yet there is a lot of soul searching required to be done by this nation. We need to get out of useless debate that carries us nowhere and get going in a little different direction. No drawing room of this nation of 160 million souls is used to discuss novel ideas for change or used to lay down abstract though for want of colouring by different comments it generates.
All in all we are not an active nation but a passive one where we can sit and lament at what others are doing but refrain from putting forward any solid and practical ideas. We would say that this earthquake is the rightly deserved wrath of God but not suggest and improvement in our practices vis-a-vis a little honesty in building earthquake proof structures. We can tell others that this party is not doing enough to help the quake victims but not talk about going and filling in that gap.
And if you haven't noticed then this post is a prime example of whatever I have argued in it!
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