Back in January 2007, I wrote about beggars on the streets of Lahore, Karachi and the growing indifference in our society towards these extremely poor and forgotten people. Hundreds of organized gangs are operating in almost every big city of Pakistan who amputate the organs of little kids, old and young people and then leave them on streets to make good money for them. But what about the unfortunate beggars themselves?
We see them every day at traffic signals and footpaths from our car windows and most of the times just throw a coin at them and try to ignore them as they don’t exist. This level of indifference in our society is sad. May be we were put on this side of the car window for a reason, to be able to help those on the other side.
Our courts are too busy solving the legal and constitutional issues, the law enforcement agencies are occupied keeping an eye on politicians or arresting and deporting them, and all of us are too busy debating all this … but, for whom? Maybe it is those who are debating the ‘big picture’ who are really missing the big picture that can only be seen in the small pictures.
The photograph above by Jawad Zakariya, once again reminded me of the miserable life of these unwanted people in our country. Society rejects them and police harshly beats them on daily basis, adding to their misery.
Jawad writes with this photograph on flickr and I can totally relate to him as many times I must have done the same:
As I was taking photos in and around Data Darbar. This old man asked me to come over.
“Will you print these photos in the newspaper?”, he asked. Before I could explain that I wasn’t affiliated with any paper, he continued. Tell them how the police brutally beat us up all the time….and he showed me the injuries on his arms and legs.
“Why do they do that?”, I asked.
“Because we sit here begging. This is Data Darbar ! where else can I go.”
… and he started crying … print this in the paper maybe then they’ll stop … then he thought for a moment …
maybe if you print it they’ll get more angry….
another pause …
print it, maybe some higher up will see it and make them stop.“They hit old crippled men”…..”shameless animals”….”Is this why we made this Pakistan”…..”Is this Why ???”………..he kept asking as he wept.
I had no answer … I got back into my Civic … turned on the AC … and started driving away.
“Is this why we made this Pakistan?” I have asked myself this questions many times and never found an answer. Can you think of an answer?
“This attitude implies that every thing would have been well and good if there were no Pakistan”
Not necessarily. Could also mean Pakistan hasn
My problem is with the attitude that tries to bring into question the justification for creation of Pakistan every time something bad happens in Pakistan. This attitude implies that every thing would have been well and good if there were no Pakistan, which is an absolute hokum.
By asking this question again and again we bring into doubt our own raison d’etre. There are social problems everywhere and every country tries to solve them. Why can’t we do the same? Why some of us have to drag Pakistan into the mess created by ourselves?
I’d beg to differ with Adonis.
The title of the photo is entirely appropriate. The beggar asked the question not only in response to his financial condition, but also as a result of the police brutality he had been subjected to on various occasions. As someone from the generation who struggled to make this country possible, the question had a personal as well as a communal tone to it.
Your assertion that India has more beggars is a bit pointless, in my opinion. Are you implying that a greater number of disenfranchised in India justifies the poverty in Pakistan? Or are you implying that since India hasn
Sometimes I think that the society which evolves is based of our own thoughts and beliefs. We normally think if we have thrown a coin we have done a good job, having given them some money we haevsatisfied our hearts, God would be happy with us that we have cared for the poor and needy.
But do we ask ourselves why don
Abdul Aleem, I am not criticizing the post itself. Its just the title of the post that I find ridiculous and abhoring.