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For the last few years news reports about violence,
extremism, mistreatment of minorities, and poor governance have been become
more frequent. And there is a sense of gloom and doom about the nation’s future
among Pakistani peace activists and civil society members.
Many people fail to realize that every morning millions of
Pakistani men, women and children get up and go to their work sites and
educational institution, and return home safely in the evening. Thousands of
daily bus, train, and flight services operate in the country, as scheduled.
Hundreds of banks, malls, and stores conduct their business five or more days
each week. Many citizens still visit parks and historical monuments, frequent
restaurants and cafes, go shopping, participate in political rallies and
religious celebrations. In spite of what ails it, there must be something right
about Pakistan that makes all this possible.
Surely, some of what is happening in the country is a source
of serious concern. But the situation is not as hopeless as some people believe
it to be. Anyway hopelessness does not serve any useful purpose. In fact, it
prevents us from doing even what we can, and are able to do, to make things
better.
Certainly Pakistan is not a lost cause. It is still possible
for the well-wishers of Pakistan to change things for the better.
At the very least, we could take better care of our own
bodies and minds. We should get along better with our family members, and our
neighbors. And we can attempt to be better citizens of our villages, towns and
country. We could learn to choose better people to represent us, and to hold
our representatives and public officials accountable.
Also, instead of hating and condemning the extremists, or wishing
them to just disappear, as peace activists and civil society members we should
learn a thing or two from them. We could learn from them how to make our
messages brief and simple, so that they can be easily understood by even those
with limited or no education. And we could learn how to generate among people
the same zeal and commitment about our mission, which they have about theirs.
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Dr. Rohila is the Executive Director of the Association
for Communal Harmony in Asia (www.asiapeace.org &
www.indiapakistanpeace.org).
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