A comment on Facebook regarding the punishment given to a student of eighth grade for mixing up her spellings after being accused of blasphemy, a concept that most our students are ignorant about, makes one realise that we have become intolerant and unforgiving as a nation. Whether the accusation was correct or not remains immaterial, but what is significant here is that issues ought to be dealt in a more humane manner.
One thing that is more painful is that we may be intolerant towards our own people, a fact that is aptly exemplified by the Sialkot lynching episode, but our acceptance of foreign supremacy remains unaltered. Apart from showing a dismal picture through statistics of the Failed State Index, Human Development Index and Human Poverty Index, Pakistan ranks below several African countries, Afghanistan and even Iraq.
On one side PEMRA has issued orders that local TV channels ought to stop airing programmes that poke fun at the leaders, how does malignant criticism upon the Pakistani state and institutions, that are surely supreme than the leaders, go unnoticed? Why should foreigners working on hidden agendas while residing in Pakistan not be punished as we punish our own people? Why this obvious discrimination?
DR SAFA RAHMAN
Islamabad
