Tsunamis Are Never Constructive

Disclaimer: The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the PakistanKaKhudaHafiz.

Change, revolution, long marches, sit-ins… it’s the new wave of trends these days in Pakistan. Shored up by the social media, a campaign usually starts through tweets, hashtags, changing profile pictures, followed by events on facebook, and youth pouring in, giving the feels like a revolution is just around the corner. As if all “change” needs is a few hundred people marching out on the roads and we have a fresh, crisp change ready with garnish.

Guess what? Time to snap out of it and face the reality. You don’t get a change like an everyday morning show host on a private channel. This is just not how it’s done. First p, you need to define the words “change” and “revolution” to yourself.

What change?

Nothing to do with the fact that even street beggars do not accept anything less than rs. Rupees 5 these days. The change in question is, of course, something that would help us get back up; a change that could strengthen the backbone of this country. A change in the economy, academics, foreign status, even the people you see on the streets.

Apparently, and quite ironically, the change we are fed to revolt for, is a mere change of the people in the parliament.

I say “mere change” for the reason that this has been happening since the foundation of Pakistan. Apart from a few military involvements, the country basically runs on a democratic government. Selected by the people;, the very people we feel need a better leader, so we decide to gather a couple more people and go on a long march to bring a change. Do you seem to believe yet another wave of change of faces could bring a revolution? Well we’ll see about that:

What things do we feel need a change in our country?

• Education.
• Status disparity
• Ethnic/sectarian intolerance
• Health sector
• Human rights
• Minority rights
• Utility supplies
• No, just change that fat, bald old pair of the brothers grim.

Taking in view the aforementioned areas that require change, it’s safe to believe that a long march is quite useless in this regard. In sight of the previous several accounts of marches and sit-ins, the government’s lack of (concerned) ability to do anything besides taking notice of the current events, is a guaranteed prophecy I am willing to make.

Remember the people of Hazara who sat outside in the cold, with dead bodies of their loved ones, demanding nothing more than security? They sat there till the bodies started to smell and were forced to bury them, but what came were a series of promises, as flagged as a wall riddled with termites.
Do you honestly believe a long march can help you bring the change you need in all these sectors when you cannot topple a democratic government like this?

I do not defy the need of change at this hour. But I refuse to back the naïve attempts of recruiting hundreds of people on the streets to yell a few slogans, walk a long way, get tired, go home and miss the next three prayers.

In all honesty, the change that is needed, is to be brought from ourselves. We are a nation, who would still buy designer summer lawn even if it costs up to 10k. We are a nation, who would write endless blogs against raised sugar prices, but will still buy sugar on that same price. We are a nation who will still fill our tanks with gasoline/petrol no matter how costly they are. Because we cannot bring out our bicycles or take the public bus, or walk the extra distance. We need the comfort of our AC’s and we will also complain about load shedding. We need chicken biryani but will also complain about the prices. We are a nation to whom revolution and change is brought about through profile pictures on facebook and long marches and sit-ins. Not through boycott.

We complain about lack of education for the kids while our kids study in schools that take a six figure admission fee. We complain about lack of health for the poor while we choose the VIP room in the top notch hospital of the city, just because we can afford that extra bit of lavishness. We need at least 5 varying dishes in the wedding menu to suit everyone’s taste.

Give me a break.

Chaudry Nisar has announced to the members of his party to bring along a week’s worth of food supplies. Why do you need all that? Where’s the struggle when you’re not even willing to lose weight for the sake of the country?

Then there’s the extra cherry on the cake; Dr. Tahirul Qadri who suffers from recurring revolutionary episodes like fever spikes. Controlling yet another flock of (exceptionally retarded) sheep, all the way from Canada, he threatens to bring a revolution in Pakistan. I’d say, the first thing he’d change is annul the dual citizenship rule for politicians.

Need of the hour.

There is a war going on in the north. There have also been firing attempts from across the border. The new Indian army chief has announced a blatant threat to Pakistan on his first day at office.
That’s the situation of security for you right now.
As for the government, and the incompetency and the threats from militants about burning the city, and targeting civilian areas; do we really need to risk lives to this extent, to prove a point that is already evident?

This long march is not the need of the hour. The need of the hour are funds to help the IDP’s. Saving money and energy in Sindh so there is lesser load shedding in Punjab. The need of the hour was for running companies donating money to the needy in Ramadan, instead of funding ridiculously pathetic game shows to give out gifts over “who eats the most mangoes”.

Do we believe in the need of for change, yet limit it to the responsibility of the government?
Blaming the government is a natural phenomenon, but to go home and watch stuff on the television that surpasses the limits of immorality, and cheering it on is not going to get you any further.

If you’re guilty of these things and yet believe that a long march will change the future for you, then you’re just a senseless, selfish snob that only sees change as luxury at a comfortable price.

We as a people must relocate the lost definitions of one nation, one belief and the revolution brought about in unison. As long as grudges among political parties will live, and our desires thrive on the money we squander, “revolutions” and “changes” will stay limited to long marches, sit-ins, and online protests.

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