I have often been accused of being a pessimistic Government hater and on one occasion, one of my readers expressed the opinion that people like me should be ‘gunned down’. As a column writer I respect everything that is thrown at me because freedom and respect for each other’s opinions is what makes a great nation. I firmly believe that even angry feedback helps me introspect and improve, what I produce every week.
An incident on the road, a few days ago continues to trouble me deeply. My concern stems from the fact that it depicts a manifestation of our national character. While driving to work, I saw what appeared to be a race between two wagon drivers to reach a knot of would be passengers standing on the corner of an intersection (a wrong spot to wait for public transport). The whole episode may not have turned out as it did, had the driver, who won the contest not passed a leering remark at his opponent as the latter pulled up behind him. What followed then was a scene from a gangster movie. The aggravated driver got down from his vehicle, rushed up to the other van and began pummeling his colleague through the window. The fight soon spilled out onto the road as both opponents, now reinforced by their conductors, began a free for all - using fists, heads and kicks. The most disconcerting thing was that none of the passengers intervened in the ‘battle’. Like the fool that I am, I stepped into the fray hoping that my senior citizen status might save me from painful embarrassment. The intervention worked and soon both vehicles were on their way.
The other day, I witnessed another example of how intolerant we had become. Placidly moving traffic was thrown into confusion, when what appeared to be an altercation broke out between occupants of two cars at a red light. Threats were hurled at each other and one of the cars sped away after hurling a final word. Not to be outdone, the second car also gave chase and in a few seconds all that we could see were the disappearing brake lights of the two vehicles as they weaved in and out of traffic.
In a third incident, a motorcycle being ridden by two young men was hit by a car on a service road intersection. I saw the whole accident and had no doubt that the fault lay with the motor cycle riders, who were lucky to suffer only superficial injuries. Suddenly a hue and cry went up as a small yet angry mob of, what appeared to be family members of the young men, appeared from nowhere. What shocked me was that both women and men in the crowd were either carrying sticks or stones. Things would have become ugly had not the onlookers decided to intervene. The threat of police intervention and eyewitness accounts finally made the mob realize that they were on a weaker footing.
The three incidents narrated above are a random sampling of the intolerance that now dominates our actions and reactions as a nation. In doing so I have deliberately left the religious aspect of radicalism out of today’s piece as so much comes into print and the electronic media on this issue. I have discussed the ‘short fuse’ change in Pakistani society with social scientists, who are in agreement that much of what is happening is out of sheer frustration. This frustration stems from economic deprivation, an ever increasing divide between the ‘haves and the have-nots’, lack of efficient law enforcement and the absence of speedy justice. The resultant state of mind (individually and collectively) sparks tension that is manifested in extremely low tolerance thresholds.
There is unanimous agreement that the cure for this lies in two words - Good Governance. Such governance will only be effective, when we enforce the rule of law uniformly across all sections of society – from the most powerful politician in the country to the poorest of citizens. This simple act will set into motion a chain reaction of events that will engulf and eliminate all other ills plaguing society. It is then that we shall see smiling and tolerantly happy people on our streets.