Pity the Nation...

After a gap of more than one month I am back to my blog. Partially my personal commitments were keeping me away but I waded off primarily to glance back to the not so happy yet evenful year. Surprised to see that over the last two years and even last 5 and ten years nothing has actually changed for good for 'janta' i.e. ordinary people living in Pakistan. Things had never been ideal but sadely the speed of deterioration has actually accelerated manifold during the last two years. I could only 'Pity the nation' just like Khalil Gibran did. Sharing it with you so it goes off my head to yours!

Pity the Nation
By Khalil Gibran

My friends and road fellows,
Pity the Nation that is full of beliefs
And empty of religion

Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave,
Eats bread it does not harvest,
And drinks a wine that flows
Not from its own winepress

Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as Hero,
And that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful

Pity the nation that despises a passion in its dream,
Yet submits in its awakening

Pity the nation that raises not its voice
Save when it walks in a funeral,
Boasts not except among its ruins
And will rebel not save when its neck is laid
Between the sword and the block

Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox,
Whose philosopher is a juggler,
And whose art is the art of patching and mimicking

Pity the nation that welcomes
Its new ruler with trumpetings
And farewells him with hootings,
Only to welcome another with trumpetings again

Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years
And whose strong men are yet in the cradle

Pity the nation divided into fragments,
Each fragment deeming itself a nation……………

How many disaster does it take to make an efficient National Disaster Management System?

Airblue’s crash was one of the most tragic moments for Pakistanis but the uncontrolled stream of incorrect, misleading information over television channels made it worse, especially for the families of the victim. I am short of words for the utterly irresponsible and U turn taken by two minister's claiming recovery of injured bodies and black box and subsequently giving a contradictory statement. Sobbing relatives made their way to emergency rooms, catching hold of doctors, medical staff and gate keepers, desperate to find out how many had been brought in.


Pakistan has seen enough natural, terrorism-related disaster but no comprehensive disaster management system was in place. The head of NDMA claims that it is not responsibility of his authority to recover the body. So whose is it to coordinate? How many disasters does NDMA need to learn respond on time? If it is the army to rescue and respond in every disaster why waste millions of tax money on a defunct authority like NDMA?

Irresponsible reporting of various news channels Geo News, ARY, Express and Dunya, made desperate relatives rush to hospitals after learning from the channels that some passengers of the ill-fated Flight ED-202 had survived and were being brought to hospitals. Sobbing relatives made their way to emergency rooms, catching hold of doctors, medical staff and gate keepers, desperate to find out how many had been brought in.

The same had not yet ended when the news anchors in name of reporting barged in the houses of deceased, interviewing the grief stricken families trying to cash in the tears for more mingle jingle advertisements. Never have I seen such insensitivity and ruthlessness for country fellowmen. To add fury to people at home, the news channels started showing body bags which is not only morally unethical but must these channels must be taken off air for atleast 24 hours. Equally outrageous was the TV reporter on GEO boosting about being the first female reporter telling tales of her bravery to invade privacy in such sensitive moments.

It is indeed shameful state of affairs for the reigning ministers and the news channels for misleading vulnerable people already broken down by feeling of disbelief and anguish. Where there are laws for misleading financial statements/ documents, why not accountability for playing havoc with people in grief.