Whether Robin Hood was a mythical figure of the English imagination or a non-fictional heroic outlaw, he brought solace to people in times when soaring taxes left the poor high and dry. The taxes were raised to feed the insatiable greed of the Royal household, but like our rulers what the King did not realise was that he could have gained more power and strength if his subjects were empowered. Today, we Pakistani’s are suffering from the same fate.
As opposed to the unfortunate souls of the medieval period, we have exemplary precedents in the form of states that have become citadels of equal human rights, security, an assured future and burgeoning wealth. We need to recognise the sacrifices that our ancestors made in order to give us a better and more secure future. We should rise as a nation, treat each other equally and strive to make many wrongs right, in this kingdom we call home. After all, “And when they seek to oppress you, And when they try to destroy you, rise and rise again and again, like the phoenix from the ashes, until the lambs have become lions and the rule of darkness is no more,” Maitreya said in his poem The Friend of All Souls.
BARRISTER MOBEEN SHAH,
United Kingdom, October 14.