I turned 23 last month and being 23 seems quite old. Especially when you are the eldest and the only son of a Pakistani poor class family, then 23 translates to an age when you become an “officially responsible adult”. You contribute to the domestic decision-making process (that is often financial), and look after your sibling’s mental health as they grow up. You begin to grow old for the “rebellious-teen” routine and instead, become attracted to maturity. Or at-least forced by your parents to like maturity and hy, that’s fine too, because after all its their first time parenting too!
For most of the educated working middle class now in Pakistan, they think of Pakistan as an unsafe place, to say the least, for their siblings and family.. “How can I save them from the chaos of this country” and “How can I make her find a place in the world” are some questions which I think of whenever I think of the future of my two little sisters. And its like, you have to think. Because no one else is. Parents are doing what they can to put some food on the table every night and to burden them with the additional responsibility of “grooming” their kids is not sensible for a single person, right? In a world plagued with profiteering propaganda, how can I make sure my siblings know the importance of money; but also not to get lost in it. How can I make them understand the fair and unfair, and equip them the best to fight the system? This is some of what I think when I think of people back home and bear with me because it's strangely similar to the administration of dear old Pakistan!
We are a country blessed with the best but have been used for the worst by dynastic elites. The future looks bleak for my family in Pakistan as it does for 20 million plus other homes forced to think of money, money and money by a handful of elites. And they divided us in classes. Upper class, Middle Class, Lower class. Is this how the god of any religion intended his creations to end up like? Divided?
Apologies as I got carried away, let me return back to the topic and the example. At home, my siblings are my citizens. I am their government. I have to earn and make sure my populace (siblings) spends my earnings in the most efficient, progressive way. I also take care lest anyone becomes more influential than me in my home.
Just like this, the government does not want anyone to get more powerful than itself. In a socialist democracy (which United Pakistan propagates), the government is “by the people”. So a government chosen by the people should be the strongest institution of the state. Logical, right?
In Pakistan’s case however, this is no longer true. The government has become very dangerous. It (as the strongest body of state) has all its powers and rights; but works for industrialists and profit-driven capitalists who would back out of supporting the political parties if the policies made are ever against profiteering. Government then does whatever it can to make sure that sponsors of their political campaigns and their companies stay rich, powerful and for all practical purposes: they share the power of Gods over all citizens of Pakistan. We, the people, are workers. Nothing else.
It hurts to see tableeghi jamaat and molvis getting used. It hurts me to say that some of my friends back in the village are serving the crony capitalist agenda, when (any) religion was meant to liberate us. It is not in my jurisdiction to criticise a religious group which I won’t dare to do, but after being a tableeghi myself for years, I think yours truly has formed an educated observation as an ex-tableeghi, Muslim. They complain, “Awais, you used to go with us, What happened to you in Islamabad!?” and when I tell them what has happened to me, how I’ve decided not to waste my time preaching sabr and shukr to people whose only agenda every morning is to make sure they work just enough to sleep with their tummies filled and their bodies at peace at night … My friends don’t understand. Those who do understand argue, “Ap Allah k raste pe chalen, sb theek to Allah ne hi krna he”. Alas! how smartly has the capitalist teared beneath our logical sense as a human being. Jesus/Shiva/Brahma/Allah gives humans the idea of justice, equality and freedom right when we are born. Then he nurtures it too and gets every human to be capable of telling the right from the wrong, the fair from the unfair and the black from the grey. That’s where his job is done. Now he won’t come on Earth in any shape or form to enforce it too! Let’s leave it at that or else: baat niklegi to phir door talak jayegi!
A government that is incapable to form a government of itself (refer to Imran Khan’s recent no-confidence ouster as a lesson) plays in the hands of the capitalist (refer to the total worth of any political leader/minister/industrialist) and does so continuously for centuries at times, thanks to the teachings of any modern or traditional religious leader (refer to your local mosque’s next khutba-e-juma and see how many faults they count in you:(IT'S ALL ONLY YOUR DAMN MISTAKE!!!).
All is not lost however. Allama Iqbal said, zra nam ho to ye matti bdi zrkhez he saki, for the young generation of Pakistan who’s us. Me and you. We just need an honest leadership rising from the ranks of poors like us to lead this crowd of a nation to liberty, fraternity and equality. After all,
Zulm phir zulm hai, badhta hai to mit jata he
Khoon phir khoon he, tapke ga to jam jaega!
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