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?
As I have said before, I hope this talk of banning Basant goes away. But I hope this type of behavior is also dealt with, and strictly. This demonstrates a callous disregard for the safety of others. Fun-starved or not, no one should be allowed to jeapordize the life and limb of others.
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.
There are very few avenues aleast in Karachi for people to free their pent up energy…Cinema culture is dead, parks are few and far between, apart from cricket there arent opportunities for people to play sports, or be members of clubs/libraries…To be honest, apart from eating food, or visiting the beach theres nothing that poor Karachittes can do…Its no wonder they take the silencers off their bikes and roam clifton beach, or as Bilal pointed out lose control in a frenzy when given the opportunity…
Lack of civic sense,respect of fellow beings and law, and abundance of anarchy. Kids activity in the videos is only a sample of what is happening across the country in different ways. Entire nation, it appears, does not know where it is heading and extrapolation to future is even more depressing.
We need to focus on building institutions – a slow process but with promising end results.
Basant is not the only celebration where people easily get out of control. Just last weekend I happened to be at the Clifton Beach in Karachi. It was Eid and large groups of young men and women (mostly men)had assembled at the beach to ‘picnic’ together. The celebrations started with throngs of men dancing around Suzuki pickups blaring loud Indian music but it only took minutes before the dance turned into an all out kicking and fist fighting contest. Men were seen laughing and punching anybody in sight just to get their adrenaline rush going….and I was utterly embarassed (and worried about safety) in front of my non-Pakistani visitor.