Pakistan, contradictions galore

I have seen empty stomachs starve to death in my country; I have seen people living in fear of losing their lives while walking down the streets, I have seen schools burnt and strewn into ashes and at the same time I have also seen in newspapers about government spending Rs.4 million on Prime Minister House on a daily basis while the rest of the people are starving, I have also seen the high officials roam across the country in bullet proof cars with a huge military defense while others are exposed to threats and fear of bomb blasts and I have also seen less efforts being paid towards schools and education than expected and ought to be. Yes, Pakistan is a democratic country which emphasizes equality and equal rights to every individual, but do you really see equality and equal rights anywhere in my above statements? Providing its citizens with welfare state is what I think the due responsibility of government because it is lack of a welfare state that brings about child labor, poverty, terrorism, poor quality education that drags a country behind from progressing ahead. A system whereby the state undertakes to protect the health and well being of its citizens especially those in financial or social need is how a welfare state is defined. For more than just one reasons Pakistan is not a welfare state as it does not fall under the criteria of the given definition of a welfare state above. Belonging to Pakistan, a country which is known to be a democratic country I have very hardly seen things done for the better cause of its citizens however, Pakistan as a country itself is not poor in a way government spends all its resources for personal benefits but people residing in it are poor for they aren’t provided with the basic needs they deserve that is why Pakistan in my view is thought to be a failed welfare state. Walking down streets of Pakistan you will get to see three categories of people; upper class, middle class and lower class where people who can afford spending luxurious life, people who can afford to live a normal life and people who cannot afford living even a satisfactory life at all falls under the category of the above classes respectively. Rich people are undoubtly not in a need of welfare state because it does not alter their life style either way, but middle and poor classes are badly in need of welfare state, they are badly in need of a good health care, well equipped school with educated teachers, three times meal a day, at least a shelter to reside in which is their due right and they are deprived of. Hence we cannot say Pakistan a welfare state. If only Pakistan was a welfare state all the evil acts i.e. terrorism, child labor and poverty, poor quality education and poor health care would be seen nowhere. Terrorism is tearing out country apart by dividing people into sections of Sunni, Shia, Hindus, Christians etc is horribly giving rise to conflicts among people. People are not ready to accept each other’s faiths and these kinds of conflicts become the basis of terror in Pakistan where breathing of individuals becomes uneasy. Darren Boyle states “Christian couple burned to death by Pakistani mob had legs broken to stop them fleeing and wife was wrapped so she would burn faster”. This is the most recent incident and if and only if government should have regulated laws to protect minorities than today the couple would be living in peace but very disappointingly no laws are workable against evil acts in Pakistan. Isn’t it responsibility of government to make and regulate such laws where minorities as well minorities are protected in terms of giving them a platform to spend lives peacefully? No such law is applicable that is why I consider Pakistan a non welfare state. Instead of attending school kids of age 6 and on go out to earn and thus coming across child labor every street is a very common thing to see. Who are responsible for those kids? You? Me? Who? Of course not, it is the due responsibility of government to look after the youth of Pakistan. If a 6 years kid is involved in labor work there are thousands many who do the same job in order to earn, in order to find something to eat or else they would starve, could you imagine how the future of Pakistan would be like? Future of a six years kid is not safe, future of minorities are not safe, neither majority is satisfied then what is she doing with the wealth of Pakistan? Where is the wealth being used? Hunger is leaving citizens with no option else than compromising with their childhood and stand out and work to earn. If demanding for quality education is our right, and if raising our voice against not being given with an appropriate health care, is our right, then why schools and hospitals are with broken classrooms and with no doctors respectively? Khursheed Khawja states, “In Pakistan, 3.1 percent of GDP is spent on economic, social and community services: 43 percent is spent on debt servicing and about 0.8 percent is spent on healthcare which is lower than in Bangladesh”. Why fewer budgets are allocated for community services, economic and social services and why almost zero attention is given to public health? Education is the only means of progress and health being on top but when there is no health, education cannot be received properly and we lack both health care and quality education because we don’t have a system where our basic demands are provided and yes Pakistan is a democratic country such a democracy which is no more than just a pseudo democracy what so called a false democracy. Government does nothing but looks very busy I wonder how and only how can all the above mentioned problems be solved? If government can spend 4 billion per day for useless things than for sure she can also fulfill her due responsibilities of sending a kid to school rather than leaving him with a vain hope of life being a child labor, for sure she can provide us with better school, with quality health care and also can eliminate terrorism which is only possible if thinking of making Pakistan a welfare state comes to the mind. We want a welfare state because that is our due right.]]>