Being an occupant of a city having red sandstone mosques, outstanding professionals and a beautiful cantonment, I had always contemplated Lahore a tireless town. Lahore Lahore Hai vindicates the lushness of this jewel in the Punjab province. The city has a history of producing formidable warriors, scholars, artists and sportsmen. Its famous Gates and multi-story houses are a fascination for tourists.

But one craze I can’t ignore is the food. The people of Lahore are well-known for their foodie lifestyle. As the city grew in terms of population; its roads congested, businesses established and public behavior evolved. However, one thing that didn’t change adequately was its appalling environment.

On a lovely summer morning, our finance professor got to see disposable trash in the class. He was furious. If a class of educated young people can demonstrate such discipline, an illiterate is bound to spit on the road. Isn’t this amazing for a city recognized for Sufism to own sickening smells and low quality food? Is it peaceful to enjoy free ketchup with your putrid burger on a dusty road? Didn’t you appreciate the bakery shop selling stodgy pizzas? Aren’t you lucky to have used towels at barber shops? Takeaway food like samosas being distributed at food stalls is a separate blessing. Some people even get their teeth fixed by the roadside. Also, we all surely munch the sterilized salad serving at weddings.

I somehow find myself uncomfortable to travel through the local buses. Not because it will hurt my ego but because they are not clean. The argument I mostly hear in return is, “This is Pakistan. And these are poor people earning their bread and butter. Go somewhere else.” Doesn’t it astonish? We all don’t care until our kid gets ill or our collar gets dirty. And frankly it’s not just about the food. It’s more about the way we live in this city.

So if Singapore can ban chewing gum, we can also enforce some rules. Imagine clean streets, no rubbish. Imagine excellent food, well-kept restaurants. Assume no one pushes your shoulder on the Metro Bus. Think of a city with no crime. If we can’t even think of these circumstances, we must forget Naya Pakistan too. Many might laugh at me for writing impractical words, but it really depends on our horizons. If we fancy some respect, we need to give our city some respect. And even if Lahore is transformed into one of the world’s most advanced cities, the development won’t save it if its citizens lack civic sense. And that comes from exposure, which comes from education.

Awais Khan is a member of the staff at The Nation. He can be contacted at mail.awaiskhan@gmail.com