To Pakistan, With Love

By Sarah Mahmood

A little Pakistan-oriented in nature, the Pensive today is an eye-opener for readers the world over. An indication to where the world's going, it aims to instill a sense of responsibility and purpose, particularly in the students of today, the beacons of hope for all of us. 

Pakistan is going through difficult times. Only today, the government announced gas emergency for the month of January as the new year gift for the nation. (Mind you, people here drive their cars on CNG.)

The possible implications? Well, for one there is going to be an obvious downsizing at the gas stations. In a country where people with degrees are going crazy over lack of job opportunities, I wonder what these uneducated workers are going to do. For another, in times of increasing inflation, people find it feasible (to an extent) to run their cars on gas. Petrol, for many is beyond affordability.

The solution is what everyone is looking for. Some are setting high hopes in new political faces, those pledging betterment in the too-deeply shaken present political and economic set ups. A few are more proactive. They are looking for ways to counter the prevalent problems on their own, learning to be independent and interdependent. There's another curiously irrelevant faction too. These are those who sit up relaxing in their lounges, debating heatedly over the present conditions over mugs of coffee, arguments that I have heard, read, seen, over and over again without any deliverables, arguments which are but only arguments.

Things are going from bad to worse. The question is what can I do, in my capacity and with the privileges that I have, to make them better? It's for everyone to answer.

My heart goes out to you Pakistan!