Why is it that when it comes to criticizing, abusing or exposing, we Pakistanis often remain on the front, ready to throw our venom at others despite knowing the actual matter? Be it a politician, actor/actress, a businessman or a media person.

But when it’s time to appreciate, acknowledge or admire someone’s efforts, someone who is conscientiously fulfilling their responsibility, we act like there is no need for it. In fact, we wait for the surfacing of any scandal or conspiracy related to that person. Why do we Pakistanis behave in this manner? This is completely out of my abilities of comprehension. Why do we people keep finding all the negativities in everything and just ignore the positive? From Komal Rizvi’s selfie to the comments of Mawra Hocane to the reaction by Shaan and even to what a typical Bollywood actor says about our country, we people are always ready to give our special attention to such things and so that we remain so busy in pointing out the mistakes of others, while ignoring all the good things happening around us. I am desperately waiting for the time when we will learn to ignore what bad others do and start admiring and recognizing all the good things happening around us.

I’m saying this because this time around, all of us forgot to appreciate someone really worthy of appreciation and, still, nobody is writing anything about her. I am talking about Ayesha Mumtaz. Ayesha Mumtaz, the “Dabang Lady” of Pakistan who has created milestones in Pakistani food’s history and is still on her mission to clean out all the unhygienic food and its sellers from this country. I don’t know what anyone else says about her, but this lady really deserves a lot of appreciation and respect and I salute her for all her efforts. She has done what no man could ever do and is vanquishing all the hubs of unhygienic food in Pakistan – local and international – which we often frequented. She has sealed and fined such restaurants whose owners have direct contacts with politicians but she proved that no one can stop her whether it be an international franchiser or a politician or a politically affiliated person.

Let us, for a while, forget that she’s a part of the government or is operating under Punjab government and focus only on her performance. I am saying this because I know most people are not praising her work because she is working under Punjab government and Punjab government is on the bull’s eye of many. I and many other people know that she is working for the government, but does that mean we should not commend her for her efforts lest Punjab government receive credit? Let’s not give credit to the government if you’re such a staunch government hater. Let us not relate her with the government but give her acclamation, give her respect, and admire her openly because she deserves it. I’m not saying that nobody is admiring her. She is being admired by various people but not in the way she deserves. I had waited for a week or two for someone to write about her or praise her efforts on any social media website but after failing to find anything, I decided to write about her myself so that maybe she’ll know that her countrymen respect her.

The recent campaign by Express News to defame Ayesha Mumtaz broke my heart. I was shocked to see that just because she’s been raiding various eateries that had been feeding us poison, and because they are offended by the actions, they can go to such an extent. However, I am pleased to see her undeterred by such defamation campaigns.

Ayesha Mumtaz has won many hearts because of her brave actions. She is not one of those corrupt people who do not take action against such restaurants after receiving a handful of money as bribe. In the way she has sealed and fined the restaurants and dhabas, nobody has ever done that before. Nobody has ever taken care of our hygiene, nobody has ever tried to even peek inside their kitchens and taking a look at what they are serving us in their attractive utensils.

Ayesha Mumtaz has broken all the records and is still out on her hunt and, as much as I have observed about this lady, no one would be able to stop her until she fixes all the eateries and their owners. But we have to encourage her; we should let her know that we are with her and are totally supporting her in her mission. Praise her, acknowledge her efforts and share the stuff Punjab Food Authority is sharing on their Facebook page so that more people will get to know the importance of hygiene and the cause of ever-increasing diseases and health problems in Pakistan. This is the only way we can improve the standard of our food so that people coming from other countries would not be able to say that Pakistani food is unhygienic and Pakistanis do not care about hygiene.

Let’s learn to praise and thank for the things we have, instead of criticizing and shouting about the things we don’t have, and telling the world that Pakistan is the most corrupt country on earth.

I’m thankful for having such a lady in Pakistan who has made us ladies proud of being Pakistani women, and I wish we all can achieve milestones like notable Pakistani ladies such as Saba Gul, Naiza Khan, Namira Salim, Sameen Shahid and many more have achieved. It should be the duty of us Pakistanis to forwarding Ayesha Mumtaz’s cause by promoting her, admiring her and appreciating her bravery to such an extent, that the ones speaking against her do not find the courage to do so again. I pay a tribute to her on achieving such a task that no Pakistani man or woman till now has succeeded in performing.