Allah Nawaz Khan
Poverty, the education crisis, the violation of merit, injustice, and many other problems exist in Pakistan. The real issue is not that these problems exist, but that we are not solving them.
Everyone blames others. It is true that the government is responsible for why these problems are not being resolved. The government is failing to fulfill its responsibilities. However, it is not right to hold the government entirely responsible.
There is a mindset in the nation that the government alone should solve all problems, or people simply accept it as fate. This kind of thinking creates despair and cannot solve any issues. We must also make our own efforts to solve these problems. No one else can solve our problems — we have to solve them ourselves.
If we want to eliminate poverty, we must take immediate steps. It is not necessary that the people of Pakistan remain poor forever. It is also not necessary that injustice always prevails. Any problem can be solved. Sitting idle with folded hands is not the solution. We must adopt the habit of hard work.
People complain that they don’t get work. This statement is not entirely correct. Work is often understood to mean that we should immediately get a large amount of money in return. If the pay is low, people refuse to work. No matter how difficult the work is, we should not refuse it. Many problems can be solved by adopting the habit of hard work.
Some young people think they should immediately get a large sum of money so they can start a big business. Business can also be started on a small scale. It is regrettable that people are ready to beg but not ready to work.
The government is also burdening the nation with tax after tax, squeezing the blood of the people. Just look at electricity prices — one wonders why so many taxes are being imposed. It seems the government has decided to recover all the money needed to run Pakistan from electricity bills.
The state of education is also very poor. The education budget is extremely low, even though it needs to be significantly increased. The country is being run on loans, and rulers consider obtaining loans a great success. The increase in privileges for rulers is extremely distressing for the public. If these privileges are reduced, that money can be spent on better initiatives.
The government is not ready to give priority to health and education. The health budget is as poor as the education budget. Around the world, both education and health receive serious attention. In Pakistan, increasing the budget for education or health is not considered necessary.
Government policies are also contributing to the rise in poverty. Better policies can reduce the poverty rate in the country. Schemes are launched that do not actually reduce poverty. The biggest example is the Benazir Income Support Program. Billions of rupees are being distributed. If the same amount were used to build new factories or launch other productive projects, poverty could at least be reduced, if not eliminated.
Rulers may argue that the Benazir Income Support Program helps the poor. This justification can be used for political gain, but poverty cannot be eradicated this way. Cutting this program may lead to protests, but have past protests ever really harmed the government? Other schemes have also been launched, but they have not proven beneficial for the people.
If we want to solve the problems, both the government and the public must work together. We need to eliminate the growing despair among the people. If young people do not get jobs or any source of income, they should learn skills. By learning skills according to market demand, they can become productive citizens.
Every citizen of Pakistan should take practical steps and resolve to make this country greater. No one can stop us from moving forward. We must eliminate prejudice from the nation. Instead of being Sindhi, Punjabi, Balochi, or Pashtun, we must become Pakistani. We have to eliminate linguistic, regional, political, and all other forms of prejudice.
If rulers are committing injustice, it is because of our weakness as a nation. Unity is essential for justice, and without unity, achieving justice is extremely difficult.
Educated youth are becoming disappointed by complaining about not getting jobs. However, their complaint is not entirely valid. If young people are taught skills during their education, they can become useful citizens. Adults should do some work in their free time — it can prove highly beneficial.
There is a severe shortage of education in Pakistan. Millions of people are illiterate. Adults can benefit the country by focusing on education. At the government level, centers for adult education should also be established.
A warning to the rulers: if they do not take steps toward improvement, the future will be very frightening for them as well. We must realize that not solving problems is the real problem.
Poverty, injustice, and other issues exist not only in Pakistan but in many other countries too. Many nations have solved their problems through joint efforts of rulers and the public. Countries where no efforts were made to solve problems have been humiliated.
There is still a lot that can be done. We can start the journey right now by taking immediate action.
allahnawazk012@gmail.com
