The Art of Civilization – Stone Democracy to Death

With the multiple problems including regularization of teaching staff, demands of raise in salaries, non-release of funds for higher education scholars, non-availability of female teachers’ transportation system, delay in promotion of teachers on merit, and dual standards of curriculum in the country is widening the gap between the rich and the poor, the country is all set to celebrate ‘World Teachers’ Day’ today October 5. On this day, which is supposed to enhance the respect and dignity of teachers in the society as ordained by our religious, social and cultural values. However in Pakistan, university teachers announce strike on October 5 and the World Teachers Day is being observed as a Black Day at all the National Universities. The best way to recognize the services of teachers is to resolve their problems so that they can teach with full peace of mind but alas instead of resolving their problems the government is taking more interest in issues which are relevant to their own glamor.

Civilized societies take care of animals, but in our society, animals are being humiliated and tortured, which is not a healthy sign, Sindh Tourism Minister Shazia Marri said on Monday. She was addressing the participants of a walk on the World Animal Day at Sea View, Clifton. According to her animals were a very important part of this world, and without them, the ecological system of the world would be disturbed and with the recent floods, which have rendered millions of people homeless, have also caused tens of thousands of animals to perish, bringing about unbearable losses to the agro-based Pakistani society. But Miss Marri what would you like to say for a society where life is becoming worthless and useless for the people of Pakistan, especially for the poor. According to newspaper reports, there were over 43 suicide cases recently reported. The main cause behind this painful end is poverty. Suicide is indeed an act of sheer desperation. People have to realize that when one door closes another opens; the element of hope should be instilled among the masses but unfortunately, people like dwelling on the half-empty glass rather than the half-full one.

Few days back, the news of a woman being stoned to death surfaced from the Orakzai Agency, yet again a group of turbaned men killing someone for a sin that only they understand, hoping to earn a one-way ticket to heaven, it was a display of someone trying to inflict a cruel version of a peaceful religion. What was even worse was that the news never received the condemnation it actually deserved like the time the news of one lashed girl who became the reason for the downfall of these terrorists in Swat. The same should have happened here but let me not perceive this news as a woman brutally killed. This is the hope for a better future for our generations to come. Now I have still not recovered myself from this news that another news surfaced the television screens that as many as 200 lawyers, including Lahore Bar Association President Sajid Bashir, have been booked for beating policemen and journalists but ironically no lawyer has been arrested so far. On Saturday, lawyers had thrashed reporters and policemen during a protest demonstration against police.

When I decided to enter into a sizzling argument on the above news somehow or the other my national spirit aroused me to watch the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth games being held in New Delhi, India and cheer the Pakistani delegation and while I was watching the opening ceremony of the Delhi Commonwealth Games on Sunday 3rd October 2010, I heard and read the name of the last games gold medalist Shuja Malik as the flag bearer of Pakistan. However, was utterly shocked to see Dr. M Ali Shah actually carrying the flag and pushing poor Shuja Malik behind and then waving with a made up broad smile to the sight of the camera. It is a practice all over the world in the opening and closing ceremony of the games that the best and most reputed sportsperson carries the national flag. Weightlifter Shujauddin Malik, a gold medallist, was to carry the flag and lead the national contingent, but at the last moment, the head of the contingent, Dr. Muhammad Ali Shah, declared that he himself would carry the flag and entered into an argument with the contingent and Doctor Sahab and the members of the team exchanged hot words but all was in vain as for Dr. Shah refused to hand over the flag and led the contingent at the opening ceremony, later it was found that all the athletes and players participated in the opening ceremony only for the sake of the national dignity. What great dismay and disgrace Doctor Sahab wanted to further ridicule on us but I was glad to know that Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Yousuf Reza Gillani has taken notice of the incident and ordered an immediate probe into the matter.

My dear Ms. Shazia Marri, it is not just taking care of animals that is required to portray and image ourselves as a civilized nation it takes a lot more to it, today I miss that touch of civilization among ourselves that was once part and parcel of the people from the Mohan Jo Daro, Harappa and Indus Civilizations. Have we ever wondered that in the past decade what went wrong and stirred this intolerant mayhem? A chaos nobody wants yet everyone contributed to it? A propaganda which started from nowhere but spread everywhere? Pakistan has been engaged in a fight against religious extremism for the last eight years. This conflict has further widened the ethnic divide. Terrorism has also reinforced the sectarian divide amongst us. The Taliban are not a cohesive group and they comprise people of multicultural, ethnic and sectarian backgrounds. By associating them with an ethnic identity or sectarian group, we bring disgrace to the whole community that is otherwise peaceful and equally affected by terrorism. We need to be clear that there is no differentiation of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ Taliban. We must also refrain from coining terms such as Punjabi or Pakhtun and Shia or Sunni Taliban. Pakistan probably is the only South Asian country that has a bad history of governance and frequent non-political and unconstitutional military regimes. The new democratic regime started its journey with many problems inherited from the army’s rule such as terrorism, financial breakdown and shortage of food and energy. Pakistan’s judiciary and the media seem critical of the present government; the media wants to create its own hegemony and the judiciary wants to maintain and sustain its legitimacy over and above parliament. The government has to accommodate these two and accept their legitimacy. If not, non-democratic elements are waiting to avail such a clash of institutions and will definitely try to break up the existing structure.

Removal of the government, midterm elections, or portraying a negative image of the democratic representatives is not the solution. Lessons should be learnt from the past. It is the responsibility of the entire nation and the political parties to protect democracy and not let it sink if they really claim to be democracy lovers. While traveling I try to observe the culture of different countries and learn from their people what I miss in me but the good sides off course and with that experience and observation, taking the liberty, I want to suggest all the politicians to bring some decency to this society by making a strict law against the hurling of insults at any citizen. Our society can never become a civilized until each and every person is made to respect others. Although our constitution guarantees every citizen’s self-respect, the police hardly ever oblige a respectable citizen by registering a complaint for an insult. Government officials often consider ordinary citizens no better than beggars and so they treat them badly. Such behavior seems to have been adopted by the entire society, be it a bus driver or conductor, a shopkeeper or simply a colleague in the office. If our elected government makes a law in this regard and ensures its effective implementation, it might transform our society into a decent and respectable one, and for that we also need to reform our education system and bring to an end the VIP culture, being followed by the politicians, bureaucrats, government officers and off course the non tax payers and adopt a one Pakistan one culture policy, after all we are not living in the era when Princess Marie Antoinette said if the subjects cannot afford to eat flour why don’t they eat cakes? Or the period when our beloved ex should I say General or should I say President of Pakistan Pervaiz Musharraf said if Pakistanis cannot afford pulses then why don’t they change their taste buds and start eating meat? In any case great nations are like a great cake, and are most easily diminished at the edges.