If the prices of commodities kept rising, yet the salaries remained the same or shrank, what would you do and who would you hold responsible?
If the politicians made the same broken promises that you heard your elders speaking of in a hopeless tone, which politicians will you trust?
If the electricity was unavailable 18 out of 24 hours, yet you were billed for 24 hours and/or more to bear the burden of electricity thieves, what will you do and who will you blame?
Why are we so quick to compare Pakistan to other nations when it aligns with our own views, yet discard that same comparison when it contradicts our views? A lot of the developed nations of today went through a phase of struggle where people fought for their rights on the streets, and were labeled as trouble-makers, peace disturbers, and violators of the law of the land. They were beaten, killed, lynched, burned, and if they were lucky they were jailed. But, if no one raised a voice and made an organized effort to force a positive change, where will those developed nations be today?
Civil disobedience doesn’t have to have a stigma, unless it’s just a small group agitating against the public at-large. But what do you say when a large segment of your public adopts the method of street power as a way to have themselves heard? Why are the history books filled with romanticized stories of such movements, yet every current ruling government shuns such talk?
I’ll tell you that If I was billed for services that I was never provided, I would not pay that bill and would dispute it. Why aren’t the wealthy public officials and industrialists expected to bear the burden of electricity thieves, and commodity smugglers/hoarders, yet the poorest of the poor are expected to keep writing checks with their sweat and blood in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan? That is complete injustice, and anyone who stands against such a vile system of governance will gain support from within the same people who supported the system before the system victimized them as well.
How many a times even in recent history have we seen that politicians who wouldn’t be seen sharing the same street with their opponents come together at the same dining table because their interests are at risk? It’s a horrendous practice, and anyone who doesn’t find fault in it is guilty of the suffering of the people who have been victims of the system of injustice where rich prosper and poor continue to suffer. Where the rulers have decorative lights even for their gardens in the dead of night, yet the students burn midnight oil and candles for the lack of electricity just so that they can achieve better things in life because they still believe in a Pakistan that values education.
We all need an honest assessment of ourselves, and our loyalties. When our loyalties to the uberly wealthy families take root in our heart, and we start to fight our own countrymen on their behalf, then know that we have deviated from the path of truth and justice.