As we go about our daily lives, trying to salvage something to retain sanity and just possibly continue, there comes more astounding news. (I thought we had saturated THAT ability at least – that of perceiving a news item to be astounding). While other countries may wait for days and even months for sensational news, this is one thing of which we seem to have no shortage. A sampling of some recent days of our lives would read as follows - the so many kidnappings for rape of minor girls (from different cities), blasts and acceptances of responsibility, the appointment of Hamza as the de facto Deputy CM of Punjab, a fall- out between the actual and de facto CMs of Sindh, a kind of wipe-the-slate-clean approach for the national level and the resultant to and fro of attempted dialogue with just about everybody etc. etc.
While we accept it all with stoic resignation or for lack of action on our part, whatever, the new khabar has shaken us out of complacency somewhat. The Sindh government is planning to ban instant messaging and internet telephoning services like Whatsapp, Skype, Viber and so on for three months citing security reasons. Each and every little carpet of comfort available to us is being pulled from under our feet, one at a time. They have still not lifted the ban on Youtube imposed over a year ago. The Provincial Information Minister Sharjeel Memon has not been able to spell out how closing down the networks will improve security. Apparently, instant messaging and internet telephoning are used to plan attacks. I thought it should be easier to track people down if they use technology rather than go by sniffing smoke signals!
But one just does not know how an issue is argued, concluded and an action-plan recommended in official meetings. While the story about ‘we are evolving’ is all very well, the faces in the official photographs that are taking decisions that encroach on our fundamental rights are not very reassuring. I do not feel I can sleep securely knowing I voted the right guys in and can now just proceed with my life, unworried, comfortable in the knowledge that there is someone there taking all the pressure on my behalf and burning the midnight oil to come up with effective ideas to protect me. No such luck at all.
The biggest and the brightest idea that has ever come out from our duly elected, after an extensive, closed-door meeting is ‘ban it’! Everything is at the expense of the comfort of the common citizen. I’m not even going in towards the rupee free fall or the higher rates on electricity and fuel and all else that keeps us unable to sustain ourselves, body and soul. But the ban to communicate on top of it is depressing to say the least! Perhaps, another meeting needs to be held urgently and notification issued that the country is being shut down in its entirety for security reasons and the 180 million have only two choices. They can try and scramble on to the new island which has cropped up in the sea after the earthquake last week, if they can beat Malik Riaz or the faujis to it. – or they can demand a magic spell that puts them to sleep for a 100 years, like the fairy story, so that when they do get up, it is finally on the other side of evolution!
On top of it Bilawal Zardari, PPP heir apparent and very much an educated young man of today, tweets about what a good measure this was. It adds insult to injury. The Punjabi heir apparent Hamza Shahbaz has also been given new responsibilities, mainly so that he can afford his father the luxury of more time in the Capital and execute his instructions in the province. Our political parties continue to be run like family enterprises with no excuses even thought necessary - despite all of Shiekh Rashid’s frequent and high pitched verbalizations - which just seem to fall on tone-deaf ears. As an aside, let me add here that SR continues to be one guy people do not switch off from the daily talk shows if they catch him. So lone voice or not, he gets a lot of hearing.
Post Script: While we debate which century we should remain in, with Stone Age also being an option, the news that Malala Yusafzai is a nominee for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize warms the heart. The winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is expected to be announced at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo on October 11. If awarded the prize it will be such a huge recognition and honour for all that she has come to symbolize – and perhaps, just for that fleeting moment – there will be faith and pride restored in Pakistan. Although Malala is a heroine anyway – there was a beautiful picture of hers posted on Facebook by BBC correspondent Lyse Ducet yesterday and it was captioned, “what an inspiring evening – 16 year old schoolgirl Malala accepts the 2013 Anna Politkovskaya prize from 104 year old Sir Nicholas Winton, who saved 669 Jewish children from the Holocaust…heroes nearly a century apart” – the cause of education and knowledge will take centre stage with her win. There can be no other cause that is more important in the world than that of education. It is the only real weapon that can effectively counter the forces of darkness and oppression.
n The writer is a public relations and event management professional based in Islamabad.