During the present turmoil when one finds it difficult to recover from the shock of Saleem Shehzad’s death, another brutal face of the Rangers emerged in front of us as we saw Sarfraz Shah pleading for his life in front of them. Many people shrug their shoulders when you try to discuss the present situation of the country with them. They claim that: “We can’t do anything about it.” However, I absolutely disagree with this view point, it is true that not everyone can be a President or the Secretary of the state, but we can take action and make our views known.
There are numerous examples in the history of the world which prove that sum of billons of individual actions ranging from mass protests to going on a hunger strike have triggered change. Consumer boycotts and other forms of pressure can also be effective.
Similarly, in Pakistan the ‘judiciary activism’ is a mere bright reflection of what individuals can do. The point is that you can count – by voting, protesting, joining issue-oriented groups, donating money to causes you support, or even by having your thoughts recorded in a political poll. There is a need to treat the present situation as a participant instead of shrugging shoulders and saying: “We can’t do anything about it.”
FAKIHA HASSAN RIZVI
Lahore
