Citizens of Karachi
ALI REHAN (O5461) BLOODSHED EVERY WHERE, BLOOD IS ALL AROUND IS THE BLOOD INVISIBLE? WHY AREN’T WE REACTING? Citizens of Karachi are witnessing probably the worst of the times this city has ever gone through. Despite the horrible circumstances prevailing in the city, it is difficult to mention even a single act of public retaliation strongly condemning it in rightful manner. Have the citizens silently approved all that is happening and learned to live with it? If not, then why don’t we hear a call to end this?
Since when have these people turned so passive, why don’t they react? A little deeper look into it will show that people do react. Reaction should be a source of damage control, but here, unfortunately, the way people react makes it a cause of worsening situation. Blood isn’t invisible, we see what is happening, and we hear who is crying, we know that next may be us, fear is all around, we feel helpless! The fear that surrounds us and state of being directionless has turned us into passive retaliators who do no harm the people who instill fear, instead, retaliate, but to our own harm.
Burning our own city during protests is commonly seen. It is very unfortunate that citizens of Karachi-for most of the times-act as part of problem. Almost every instance of protest for a ‘right cause’ ends up in ‘wrong ways’. People have stopped trusting each other. A citizen of Karachi cannot imagine trusting strangers. And for a Karachiite, stranger is every person who is not his/her family member, with exception of a few close friends (rarely). DON’T AGREE?? Try answering this. How many people (outside your immediate family) , can you entrust with RS 1 lac and get the amount back when demanded?
Security guards have become a need, we don’t feel secure. People have left enjoying the way they did in past (there is a reducing trend observed amongst the number of people visiting cinemas, amusement parks, and domestic tourism). A financially well-off person avoids enjoying luxuries he/she can easily afford from the fear of becoming one of the victims of crime. There are hundreds of people who avoid purchasing expensive cars, motorcycles, cell phones etc , as they know that in a city like ‘Karachi’ , those (police) entrusted with duty to guard your possessions-can make you penniless!
Here, criminals have free hands to operate and strong links to escape punishment. It is important to look at how the reactions varies with the social class people belong to. Upper Class that is financially well of, employs security guards, lives in safe areas, and waits for the first opportunity to emigrate…this class has isolated itself from the problems faced by common people. They worry a lot, but face a little. With every penny of their possessions ‘insured’, there is nothing they would loose.
Middle Class employs all its resources to educate itself, and those who succeed, aim to fly abroad at given opportunity (dream is US, CANADA, UK, and MIDDLE EAST). They are the people with maximum potentials. It is always the middle class that plays the most active role in bringing revolutions. Lower Class (which is the largest of all),cannot educate, cannot move abroad, and has limited opportunities to grow, feels insecure. And as a way out—joins the strongest militant group and participates in increasing violence in the city. This is how violence is reciprocated with further violence.
How will this cycle stop..? There is no end to the cycle until those with resources (upper class and middle class) aren’t concerned with solving the issue. There is no end to bloodshed until citizens stop complaining and start challenging the authorities whose interests this killing serves. There is no end to killing until a leader emerges to guide efforts of masses in a right direction. There is no end to killing until we learn how to react . How long does it take for a citizen of Pakistan to get a bad news to hear? The country has blood flowing all around.
Here people die for reasons, and people die for no reasons. The short-tempered spice loving citizens of Pakistan are habitual of relaxing themselves employing ways that are not only futile when it comes to resolving their issues, instead, they create further worse issues for others to face can hardly recall any public protest that served its purpose without having caused destruction to state property and public assets. A call to strike means that lacs of people who are daily wage earners will have a day to worry for their need expenditures.
People blame and react on suspicions. Our present is full of incidences of political target killings throughout the country and though it has been going on for a long time-our government intelligentsia has delivered a complete failure in figuring out how to stop it. Now let us wait for an angel to visit them and whisper in their ears “you need to control supply of arms and killings would stop. ” Another wrong way of reaction is displayed by media in our country-it over reacts.
In an effort to sell their story and attract maximum viewership, electronic media channels sensationalize stories to extent of their creativity and capability. Television channels rarely consider the impact that their news transmission is likely to cast. Hours long broadcast of a single act of terrorism only serves the purpose of terrorist groups as terrorist want their projection to spread fear and media help them achieve their desired objective. How will this be corrected? All the problems that have been created by us need to be fixed by us.
At many instances, we are part of problem and at numerous others, our silence over a problem signals that we are ready to live with it. Following examples may seem harsh, but they are a true reflection of reality. We are mentally prepared before sending our children to school, college, university that security of our child is not guaranteed and we would accept any mishap as undeniable/inevitable fate. We may sooner or later get to hear news of our close relatives’ death in a bombast, street crime incident or target killing attack and our lives may also end one day in much the similar way.
As there is no single problem, there is no single solution. Each one of us will have to consider what lies in his/her sphere of influence, and try to correct that boldly. Courage will have to be demonstrated and sacrifices need to be made. Words do not count, it is our actions that matter. A great quotation of HAZRAT ALI is “the maximum limit of cruelty is determined by the tolerance level of the oppressed” . We need to be intolerant towards wrongs and challenge it bravely. Nothing would change until we learn to react and react in right manner.
