We Know so Much, but We Feel so Little

By Hasan Mehdi

A red strip was flashing on the TV screen. It read, “Bomb blast in Islamabad, 27 dead 30 injured.” Charred, disfigured bodies lying in a pool of red; were on the screen. It was utter chaos. With moans, groans, shouts of injured, hooter of ambulances, it could rightly have been described as a tragedy, a dilemma. “The authorities say it was a suicide attack.
Viewers let me remind you that it was our channel that first broke the news of this blast.”

Hell no!!! What I am hearing. Are my ears betraying me or is this true!!!!! Standing at a place fouled with the blood of innocent, dead eyes staring at you, limbs scattered all around, a mound of corpses around you, and this reporter is publicizing his channel. How could this reporter muster the courage to use this human tragedy as a tool of to publicize his channel? Perhaps, he didn’t feel the pain of those having burns on their arms and legs.

20th century brought many changes in our lifestyle. The world turned into a GLOBAL VILLAGE with the introduction of internet and mass media. Population increased and with it came sky scrappers built out of concrete. But alas! All this came at a price. Cities may now be marvelous concrete structures but so are we. Our hearts are concrete like our houses. We may look like humans but we are devoid of what really distinguishes us from animals i.e. feelings and emotions. We are machines, robots, which are here in the world just to work round the clock. We may have all the information on our finger tips but we don’t have the Geographic channel.

They are not related to you and especially why when you have the pizza hut chef teaching you how to make pizza on another channel. Go out in your latest Honda civic to dine outside and scold the little child when he tries to clean your wind screen. Don’t give him Rs. 5/= after all, you collected all these rupees to buy yourself the civic. And when you come out after having pizza, don’t buy the old man bread for his family tell him, “Begging is prohibited in Islam. You should work to earn money. “After all, you also worked hard to earn yourself the pizza.

And the saga doesn’t stop here. Look at the politicians for instance. When Seth Sahab or Chodhry sahab drives his Land Cruiser through the streets of Bahawalnagar, it takes a lot of courage. Courage to ignore the hunger, poverty, and disease widespread in the area.

Does he not know about the suffering of the people of his constituency? Of course he does. The 55 inch plasma shows it all. But why should he care. When he can afford to host lavish Iftar parties when the poor are queuing up for a sack of flour, he should forget about their feelings. It’s not his job. His job is to cut ribbons, take hefty salary as minister and go on “official” tours abroad. Oh I forgot! He distributes Rs.100/= among poor kids on Eid in the presence of news reporters. Such a noble gesture indeed!!

Barrack Obama has proved himself as a champion peace-maker by winning Nobel Peace Prize just within 10 months of becoming US President. Perhaps because the children of Palestine are getting clean water daily or maybe maiming and killing in Iraq has stopped.

If that’s not the case then surely Afghanistan has become a peace haven or the drone strikes on Pakistani civilians have stopped. If none of this happened then why did Obama get the Nobel Peace???? Perhaps because the jury could not hear the pangs of sorrow of Kashmir and Palestine


    • there is no single channel who is doing this. evry channel is doing this publicising that we were the one who showed you the clips or breaked news two weeks earlier..

  • I’m also one of those cold hearted people. I was sad on the loss of lives when there came the news of one of the first blasts in Pakistan. But now after hearing about two to three blasts every day for a long time, I don’t feel that feeling in my heart anymore.

    Actually I’m tired of all this now. Nowhere in the world, there is such a bad situation. Where is the security, where are our protectors. You felt bad at the reporter using such words, didn’t you see the policeman puffing cigarette while standing beside the blasted moon market?

    I wish government conducts an attack on the areas where these so called talebans and jihades are hiding using atom bomb and destroys the whole cities and villages there, so that no innocent child will get killed again.

  • Dear Admin,

    I was touched by your article. Hundreds of innocent Pakistanis are dying every day because of pakisan fighting this so-called war on terrorism which has been instigated by USA and its cronies.

    We need to focus our efforts on how to stop this wave of terrorism and save thousands of lives. The TV program showed that some hospitals didnt even have sheets to cover the charred bodies of some poor women. This is truly shameful for our whole nation. We cannot be silent observers any longer. If we love Pakistan, then we have to show it through our actions. Words do not mean anything.

    May be propakistani can start a
    ‘PAKISTAN FUND FOR VICTIMS OF TERRORISM’

    and collect donations online as well as through mail. These funds can then be given to survivors of terrorist attacks as well as charities and hospitals treating these survivors.

    Foreign powers including India, USA, UK, Israel are trying to trap Pakistan into a civil war,
    split pakistan like in 1971 and then lay the oil pipeline thru balochistan and NWFP to the oil treasures in central asia thus blocking out China and Russia.

    More than 10,000 innocent Pakistanis have died since terrorism started in 2006.
    This needs to stop NOW !!!!!!!!!!

    We need to understand the reason behind these terrorist attacks. The west always follows a strategy of divide and rule. Hence, by pitching people of pakistan against each other like in Iraq, foreign powers can destabilize and split pakistan.

    US started drone attacks to instigate the pathans to attack pak army. Pak army then started operations in swat. Then foreign powers sponsored terrorist attacks in october to start waziristan operation. Now, they are doing terrorist attacks in punjab to push the army to start ops in southern punjab.

    PAKISTAN SHOULD BEWARE OF THIS CIVIL WAR TRAP BEING SET BY FOREIGN POWERS.
    PAK ARMY SHOULD WRAP UP WAZIRISTAN OPERATION IN DECEMBER BEFORE WE LOSE MANY MORE PRECIOUS LIVES.

    If pakistan army continues operations like this in waziristan and then other areas, then pak army
    will get so weak by next year, that by the time US forces land in afghanistan, there is a possibility of US attacking from western border under the guise of targeting Al-Qaeda and Taliban in pakistan and India attacking from the east. That will result in the dismemberment of pakistan just like in 1971.

    HENCE KNOW THY ENEMY :)
    OUR GOVT, ARMY, AND PUBLIC NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE INTENTIONS BEHIND THESE TERRORIST ATTACKS
    BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE TO SAVE PAKISTAN.

    Please read this article from Ali Khan which also warns about the danger of starting a civil war in pakistan.

    http://www.counterpunch.org/alikhan10212009.html

    God bless you!

  • When i was going back from Islamabad yesterday ….a taxi drivers astonished me by saying that “Bhaie sab Hakomat ko issi kay(Logo kay marnay kay ) tu paisay(fund) miltay hain”….

    at that time i felt so much…..even i dont know much

    • What is the difference between Mr Hassan and any news channel? Reporter is publicizing his channel on BLOOD and you are giving smile on publishing your article.

      Any way I am 100% agree with your article.

  • Hasan I agree with much of the content but there is another side to one of your points about begging.

    Do you know why we are seeing well dressed teenagers and women on the streets. I belong to a middle class family, most people I know make 8 to 12 k a month by doing two jobs, or working more than 16 hours a day.

    Beggars income average is Rs. 500 to 700 per day. That’s 15,000 to 21,000. Now you know why people from lower and middle income group are encouraged to beg instead work?

    Also, most if not all of the beggars belong to groups that work under the same people you talked about. The demon Seth Shahib’s Land Cruiser may have been bought from Money that came from Begging Mafia.

    Most beggars are professionals. Poor Citizens don’t beg on the roads. I know people who did not have Flour for the next day but they did not went on the roads to beg. They went to their relatives or employers or some one they know will give them some loan or charity or they just worked some more. They have self respect and like to keep that intact.

    The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has made it prohibited for a Muslim to beg money from others without dire necessity, thus losing his honor and dignity.

    Sorry to be off topic but I felt the the article puts the begging point in a way that’s not right.

    Other than that I agree with author that most of us have become heartless.

  • I agree with you 100%. By giving to these beggers, we are actually supporting them and encouraging them to keep doing their work. Why can’t we donate our money to some trusted organization like edhi, so that we know where our money is going, being spent on liquor, narcotics and mafia or on poor, needy people.

    I don’t know how I stop myself from hitting a begger when my father parks car somewhere and makes me sit in the car. Immediately a begger comes and knocks on the window. “Allah k nam pe de de, tere umar bari ho, suba ka kuch nai khaya, man ka operation ha, bacha bokha ha. Blah blah” and the begger wouldn’t listen to you and keep bar****. If you don’t give him, he’ll curse you and if you give him. He’ll say itne me to rote be nai ate and as soon as he is gone, two or more will come. I can see perfect healthy women begging. Some carrying children with them. God has gifted brain to everyone. Doesn’t she know she wouldn’t be able to feed the child, why did she gave birth to him. I want to write and write but i’m going off topic.

    There is only one solution to all this, better government, better judiciary and better law and order institutions.
    It is useless to waste my time writing all this here. Tune any news channel, same matters are being discussed. The problem is we all can think, we all can feel, we all can comment, we can do everything but one thing we cannot do is change ourselves. We are happy to the royalties we get through unlawful means but we don’t want anyone else to use these means. I’m hopeless and see no revolution in near future.

  • Yapping about Democracy with the incompetence to deliver serves no purpose. As of now the level of corruption in state institutions has become mind boggling and has risen to an alarming state. In Sind both the PPP and MQM are plundering with . And why not. A decietful set of people who keep shedding crocodile tears over the dead bodies and giving them the place of saints is an insecure and frightened lot. We do not speak foul of the dead. But thes fools and jokers must know that even their departed saints were the most crooked of the lot. And what can one expect fom the cronie whose basic ideal was the master magician who “made an utter fool of the people” – as himself is qouted to have said after a public address.

  • Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I’ve settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.

  • This is a great article thanks for partaking this informative selective information . . I will impose your web log regularly for some latest post.


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