In The Stone Age, humans were devoid of any technology and used stones to make out everyday items. That period lasted for more than 3 million years, but the way things are happening in Pakistan, we might get ready for a Stone Age of our own, where stones might be used to make implements.
During the last Stone Age, Pakistan didn’t exist as a country but thanks to the innovative Rehman Malik, a Pakistani from Karachi to Khyber, now knows how it must have felt during that era. The suspension of Mobile Phone service may not have stopped terrorists (they still have access to other networks) but it has hit the citizens badly, the very people this government is expected to serve. From those unable to reach their family members at homes to those whose day-to-day business depends on mobiles, Rehman Malik has taken the ire of all and sundry. No wonder he has to move around with guards because at the moment, he is the second most loathed person in the country, preceded only by his President.
For a country rich in natural gas, Pakistanis have to line up to get CNG at pump stations day in and day out, and they don’t necessarily get what they want adds fuel to fire – figuratively as well as literally. I understand that it was General Musharraf’s idea to use natural gas for traveling purposes but he was not an elected President, he was a dictator. The elected President – Mr. Asif Ali Zardari – should have put his foot down and solved the matter for his fellow countrymen, but then for that he would have to be in the country, right? For a person who only comes to Karachi when his baba instructs him to, he is the evil Musharraf warned us about, He must have foreseen the direction in which the country was moving, otherwise he would never have said Pakistan Ka Khuda Haafiz in his final speech.
To top it all, pillion riding is banned in the country so that mobile snatchers can’t roam around freely, or terrorist can’t carry on their assigned tasks. Has that stopped them from snatching mobiles, target killing or even terrorizing the city, no! Then why does the Government issue such orders when what it should be doing is strengthening the hands of the law! But then the Government has its hands full since it loves to block Facebook and YouTube which are ‘hazardous’ for the people, rather than the important issues. They don’t simply understand that people might live without social websites, but they might not live long if terrorism continues.
And then there is the energy crisis issue. We don’t get electricity for most part of the day (and night) yet we don’t protest because it will only be a waste of time. The matter has hit a new low as now the consumers at home don’t get natural gas, where it is most needed. These are the basic necessities of life which people in all other countries get, but then we are not from this world, are we? We are the only country in the Stone Age while the rest of the world has moved ahead, embracing technology.
It is high time for the people to decide who they should select for the next five years. Before you you’re your vote, don’t forget the countless hours you spend on the road looking for CNG, the innumerable amount of money you paid for petrol most of which went into the pockets of you-know-who, remind yourself of the many hours you laid in wait of electricity, the times when your mobile phone had no signal or when you were told that only one person can ride a bike because of safety issues. Let’s combine our powers to steer Pakistan away from its Stone Age and into a better future, with better elected individuals who know how to prioritize!
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