Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Whats is going on around us?

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In today’s unprecedented times when the world’s attention is focused on Copenhagen’s Climate Change Conference and its outcome, we in Pakistan, whether in safe havens of our drawing-rooms or online social networks such as Facebook or Twitter, are discussing bomb blasts which took place on Monday in Peshawar, Quetta and Lahore; provincial capitals of NWFP, Balochistan and Punjab respectively.  Many more such blasts have already occurred during the last few months and many more are yet to come. Being exposed to the danger to the maximum we are left alone to deal with the biggest catastrophe of our times: Terrorism as the world calls it. Undoubtedly, Pakistani people are terrorized and paranoid by the an increase in the number of blasts taking place around them to such an extent that they have started fearing that the next blast will kill anyone of their dear family members or friends. Confirming with friends and relatives whether they are safe after every bomb blast is becoming a norm. And, why people should not be worried particularly when the Military’s Headquarter of the country, police stations, check posts, mosques, a university, the UN WFP office and various market places have been targeted for the past two and a half years killing more than 2,600 people.

Paranoid by the current security situation, a number of people are seriously considering the option of migrating abroad in order to provide their kids with a safe environment. “We have a particular life style in Pakistan. However, the present scenario in Pakistan has made our mobility very limited and the place has been transformed into a living hell. We are unable to provide our children a safe and healthy environment for their personal growth. Therefore, the best available option in given circumstances is of moving abroad “, said Faiqa who works as a school administrator in Islamabad.
Nevertheless, there are people who are of the opinion that the situation needs to be fixed because not everyone has the necessary resources in order to migrate to another country. Nevertheless, who is ready to deal with this monster of widespread terrorism? After every blast, we hear nothing from our President, Prime Minister and other elected leaders other than ‘condemnation’. The leadership of the country is busy in deciding the fate of other more “pressing” issues such as the National Reconciliation Ordinance because their fate is dependent on NRO. The woes and sufferings of the electorate have been ignored because politicians do not need people’s vote and there is still time left till next elections.

The prevailing security situation in the country has not only resulted in killing scores of people but even it has worsening impact on livelihood of people. ‘Laying off’ of staff is a common complaint in the private sector these days because the investor is not willing to invest in Pakistan. The country’s economy is sinking with ever passing day and we have seen an incredible devaluation of Pakistani currency that was not witnessed before.  This dismal sate of affairs has led many foreign policy experts calling Pakistan “as the most dangerous country in the world”. This week the Foreign policy Magazine in a recent survey has also enlisted Pakistan as an option to choose as answer to the question “What is the most dangerous country in the world? The global hegemonic America has decided to deal with this “most dangerous country” by authorizing an expansion of the C.I.A.’s drone program in Pakistan despite the fact that such strikes have also caused hundreds of civilian casualties. We cry, we die but there is nobody to pay a heed to our sufferings, We, The Living of this “most dangerous country” do not know what is going to happen to us and our friends and families in coming days .  But, do we matter ? The International Human Rights Day is approaching and I wonder if we are entitled to all those rights as enshrined in Universal Declaration of Human Rights and  do our rights really matter ?

originally written for http://islamabad.metblogs.com

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