Adil Najam
I tend to be fairly conservative in my use of language. There are very few things that bothers me as much as the use of inappropriate language. Yet, I do not know what other title I could give to the two videos below.
What these people are doing is not just stupid and unsafe, it should be criminal because they are putting their entire neighborhoods in danger. Look at just how jam-packed this neighborhood is and imagine the possibilities of calamity.
Also, how old is that child (in the first video) who is allowed to fill his mouth with kerosene and through it into a flame of fire? Now look at the second video; is he trying to put the entire mohalla on fire or only trying to burn those people sitting on the road?
This is where law has to come in. I think more citizen voice is also need. We are too angry at people far away and too polite to idiots next door. If you see such stupidity which can also burn down your family and you keep quiet, then what does that make you?
Lekin phir pyare bhaiyo woh desi shaadi hee kiya jis par hawai firing na ho?
:p
trains are nothing, we burned thousands of pilgrims during Hajj 1997. yes we, Pakistanis!
I was there, and that day at Mina was one of the most horrific days i can recall.
We dont like to adhere to safety standards and enjoy cooking our karhais and niharis with substandard cooking equipment.
The Saudi government keeps on trying to educate the masses on Hajj safety precautions to take, i hear that we still dont listen to them very well.
I don’t think their foul behavior has any connection to basant, as people will find other ways to endanger them selves and others. They need to be educated about dangers which seemingly innocuous things carry. Sometimes I just wonder how not everyone got burned while cooking in a jammed pack trains.
c’mon people, they are just having some fun right, we r fun starved, so we r desparate for it in whatever way it comes.
Anyone despise the way Eid slaughterings is carried out these days?
I always experience that with the huge demand of butchers, those eid only butchers actually do harm to the animals, so many times ive seen the qurbani not properly done, and then those zombie kids teasing the animals from the time they arrive to their homes.
And a bit like basant show offs, we hav eid bakra showoffs, i used to live in a neighborhood of businessmen all they used to do was buy more animals inorder to remain the top qurbani doers in the area.
Reminds me of words of a family elder who used to say “FalaaN jahaalat ki mout mara hai” when he would read about people dying of accidents caused by carelessness and utter “jahaalat”, and they seem rampant in Pakistan.
I am glad you write about this. Yes, Idiots are everywhere. We have have a little more than our fair share, but part fo the problem is that we tolerate our idiots when we shodul not have. As someone said, the people whose lives are bing put in danger are just standing and watching. No one is stopping this stupid behavior or calling the police. So, yes, every nation has idiots and every nation gets the idiots they deserve.
all societies have their share of idiots including advanced industrial societies such as u.k. where behaviour of “yobs” is one of the most important political issues of the time. what separates u.k. from pakistan is that in u.k, citizens can get relief and protection through law enforcement agencies. in pak this avenue is not available.
also i have noticed that in our society a lot of people feel fakhr in breaking the law. i dont know why this should be the case. in my opinion disobedience of law is the single most critical issue we face in pakistan. our economic and political development will continue to suffer as long as people who break the law are not held accountable. and sadly i dont see any easy solutions to this problem. our politics are dominated by people who are the worst offenders. most people in fact get into politics because power provides immunity - gives office holders the right to do as they see fit. its pointless expecting politicians to reform institutions like police and judiciary because these institutions when run effectively will be the biggest threat to power of the priviliged class.
so whats the solution? in short, i think a movement will have to arise from the urban bourgeoisie that specifically targets law enforcement. civic breakdown effects city dwellers disproportionally. issues like crime, pollution and gundagee will one day become too much to bear. pressure created in response will be the means that will bring about change. in karachi we are starting to see some positive signs.