February 23, 2011
The kind of Pakistan I want
By
H.
Recently a venture by Sana Saleem (a die hard blogger and tweeter) and Naveen Naqvi (blogger, former newscaster for Dawn News and producer) called Gawaahi.com went on the air. One of their videos entitled "What kind of Pakistan do you want?" really had me grappling with the question. What kind of Pakistan do I want?
So then I thought, I better start listing down the things I want to see in my version of the perfect Pakistan. I want a Pakistan where there is no pollution. I want a Pakistan where there are trees on every avenue and the chirping of birds is so loud, it wakes the whole country up at sunrise. I want a Pakistan where universities allow democracy and freedom of speech to prevail instead of curtailing it down. I want a Pakistan where when you mention the word corruption, people give you blank stares. I want a Pakistan where honesty is the defining trait. I want a Pakistan where there are rehabilitation centres for hypocrites. I want a Pakistan where there is no disease. I want a safe Pakistan.
I want a Pakistan where there are no poor people. I want a Pakistan where when I go out on the roads, no man, woman or child walks up to my window and asks for alms. I want a Pakistan where I can venture out of my home at 2 O' clock in the night and not feel scared. I want a Pakistan where Sindhis stop being Sindhis, and Punjabis stop being Punjabis; I want a Pakistan where Balochis have houses in cities of Punjab and Sindhis have houses in Khyber-Pakhtukhwa. I want a Pakistan where I want to be able to go and visit FATA and sit on a roadside truck driver hotel sipping hot simmering tea and talk about the beautiful serenity of the place.
I want a Pakistan where my rights are respected. I want a Pakistan where everyone is equal. I want a Pakistan where people learn to make queues and stand in lines. I want a Pakistan where there is no "VIP culture", where people in black shiny Mercedes Benz's with tinted windows and armed hooligan escorts are stared at with disdain, vulgarity and pity until they feel so ashamed they go visit a rehab centre to feel better. I want a Pakistan where people have patience. I want a Pakistan where people's morality is so high, they willingly give up their shares so that others may have them. I want a Pakistan where ethics are the deciding principles in a business deal.
I want a Pakistan where the army stays in barracks and defends the country's borders like its supposed to. I want a Pakistan where the Chief Justice is the epitome of justness and fairness, not someone who drives to work in a flag bearing official car with an armed escort. I want a Pakistan where there is no selfishness. I want a Pakistan where people on the roads give right of way. I want a Pakistan where the police are the most friendly people in the world. I want a Pakistan where I can get on a bike and travel the length of the country just for sightseeing. I want a Pakistan where everyone embraces each other as one of their own.
I want a Pakistan where people actually pass proper driving tests before getting their licenses. I want a Pakistan where people are thin enough to understand HID's on a car do NOT look cool. I want a Pakistan where people know driving on full beam's can only be the work of a dumb idiot. I want a Pakistan where the rulers who loot billion of rupees (please click here to see how much money this MNA has looted) are tried in a court and then hung to death because that's what they deserve. I want an equal Pakistan, not the some Pakistanis are more equal than others version of it.
That's the Pakistan I want. Of course there's a zillion more things I want in Pakistan. But this is it for now. Use the comments section to tell what kind of Pakistan you want.
Cheers!