Condemning Condemnation

Dear Government Of Pakistan,

I would like to take you away from your daily ritual of sending out condemnation messages for just a few minutes, and highlight to you what it is about your ridiculous indifference that irks me the most.

I have seen, during the course of my life, nations go to war against entire regions because of an attack on their sovereignty and people. I have seen planes fly into buildings, train stations go up in flames and as a result, entire nations have been brought to the ground, and millions been massacred, all in the name of one thing: security.

Nations with self-respect tend to care about this term called 'security', but recently, it seems to have evaded us completely.

I wonder why that is?

Remember the phrase "Actions speak louder than words"? We are taught at a very young age not to promise what we cannot deliver. Not to speak when it doesn't mean anything. And to 'act' rather than to 'say', because in acting on your intentions lies true goodness. Words are meaningless if you do not harbor the capacity to fulfill them.

Then why is it that everytime someone fires a drone at us, or renders our Mosques Shaheed or shoots our civilians or murders our ideals, you sit back and issue a statement which either 'condemns' it, or better still "strongly" condemns it.

It seems to me as if this is all we elected you people to do: Condemn all that's wrong, and master the art of condemning it with newer methods so as to add a little bit of variety into your day to day messages.

The problem my friends, is simple: for a country like Pakistan, condemnation just isn't enough. Because it gets really old, really fast. The reason for this, is because everyday brings us a new attack, and takes away one more person who will breathe again.

How is it that nations like the USA would be (and are) willing to go to war at the drop of a hat (or oil, as is mostly the case with them), everytime they feel "threatened", but we in Pakistan are showing so much resilience to the blood thirsty enemies which devour us from within?

We are engulfed in a problem so massive, that everyone in government (and opposition) has started to imitate what I personally feel might be their favorite animal: the ostrich.

Every single time there is an attack or a blast or any other catastrophe, all I have to do is check my phone for news, and sure enough, there it is: a message from my favorite people, the PM and President, 'condemning' it. It became slightly more interesting recently when even our other prominent 'leaders' started to follow suit and tweet their "sincerest" grief and condolences on social media as well, no doubt going back to lying in bed straight after THAT formality was completed.

Why do I sound so irked by your attitude, dear Government? Let me tell you why. Because thousands of people like myself also only put ourselves out there on social media sites to express our grief and sadness at these events, and we do this because we do not have the power in our own hands to do anything more about the dire situation itself. No one gave me 170,000 votes and instilled their faith in me, and told me to go and save the country, which is why I'm not standing in that Provincial Assembly or National Assembly and doing so. But had I actually had the opportunity to do what you politicians can? I can sit here and passionately state with utmost conviction that I would be a doing a MUCH better job of it. Anyone with even half a brain would.

It isn't alright to sit back and watch as an ENTIRE ethnicity is wiped out by attacks on their places of worship and residential areas. It isn't alright to brush everything under the carpet just by stating that you "condemn" it and throw out useless rhetoric stating that you 'feel' the pain of those who have lost family and friends to these barbaric attacks. You don't understand. You can't even begin to understand. But you CAN stop it. Believe or not, that's why we elected you.

So then why? Why only just condemn? And when you, our government, shows up on the media occasionally and says "we need time", "these situations can't be resolved overnight", I want to give you the benefit of the doubt, I do. I want to genuinely believe you when you say that you are doing your best to solve what is fast becoming the country's deadliest security situation till date.

But then you go and disappoint me in the blink of an eye, by giving expensive birds as presents to foreign friends, and slapping innocent coach attendees, instead of doing your jobs.

You indulge in bringing to trial past dictators, whilst in the background, the civilians who voted you into power are having their limbs blown off.

I am not saying that one situation should be completely ignored whilst giving prominence to another. What I am saying however, is that with so much 'experience' with regards governance under your belt, should this government not have mastered the art of multitasking?

A man who was previously the leader of the opposition is now the Interior Minister of Pakistan. Should he not put his money where his mouth is and actually make good on all the criticisms he accorded the previous government with? You now have the opportunity to change things. Please..change them.

This is YOUR time to 'shine', dear government of Pakistan. What are you waiting for?

Because even though you've become equivalent to that maggot-infested plank of wood floating in the middle of the ocean, the one that no one wants to touch, you're still all we can turn to for help. And Lord only knows much we need it.

Sometimes I genuinely feel like harsh words and criticism are all that will get to you, because apple-polishing sure hasn't.

I want to live in a country where "solving" something becomes more important than merely "condemning" it.

I want to live in a country where thug-like leaders can't get away with closing down entire cities, and where condemnation isn't all you have to give to a family who has lost a loved one in a "target killing".

I want to live in a country where I will wake up in the morning and feel the need to write something positive about it, as opposed to only feeling depressed by the body count of people that we've lost that day.

Most importantly, I want to live in a country, where even ONE condemnation message seems sincere.

Where even a single person who condemns an attack, or a loss, or any type of tragic occurrence actually stops to try and feel the pain it has caused someone else.

Condemning something is all well and good, as long as you follow it up with the promise that you won't ever have to condemn the occurrence of a similar situation again.

Till then? Stop condemning, and start fixing. 

Yours patriotically,

Ad Astra