“jab kisi ka pait khali ho tou who phir bhi bhooka rehsakta hai, per agar uske ghar walay bhookay houn tou phir usko chori bhi jaiz lagti hai”-Imran
Translation: “if someone’s stomach is empty, he can still stay hungry but if his family members are hungry then even stealing will feel legal to him”-Imran
Yes, we all are indeed praying together for the end of this pandemic, for the end of this crisis, for the new world that our future awaits, for the happy life of us and our families, for the strength and courage to fight this battle. Indeed we are worried, we are nervous and anxious about how tomorrow is going to be, how the globe is going to react, are we welcomed to these new times?, do we deserve to see the night of terror end?, are we responsible enough to handle the situation logically? .There are so many questions, so many expectations, so many beliefs just for the times where we seek our future.
But surprisingly this brings us to one question, are we really taking care?
Ladies and gentleman , I introduce you the 8% of Pakistan, The 8% of Pakistan who can read this article, the 8% of Pakistan who is probably going to search for snacks in their house and open the fridge and drink cold water, the 8% of Pakistan who is fighting the keyboard war, who is bringing hashtags into their social media stories, the 8% who is probably arguing with their parents that they want a new phone, the 8% who is sick of watching Netflix and now want to watch movies in cinemas just like the old times, The 8% who is severely craving for some fast food right now as they are sick of eating pulses and bread every day, The 8% who is fed up from their mobile charging sockets being meters away from their beds, The 8% who is probably thinking why their air conditioners are not blowing cool air, why their cars are so scrappy , why their phone’s storage is always full. This is the 8% who is actually getting depressed as their favorite celebrities are dying.
The question about care is actually directed to these 8%, are they really taking care? Are their eyes wide open? This 8% is the total population of Pakistan who is wealthy enough to survive years without actually going to work. There comes Imran, The construction labor, The man who goes out of his house holding a shovel in his hand and search for just a one day meal, Is this meal for him?, No, His family is waiting, His wife is a maid and his children are waiting for him at home, The home where there is one fan to beat the extreme heat and the bright sunlight penetrating through the holes on the ceiling and reflecting hot floor where his kids are walking barefoot.
Imran is the 92% of Pakistan who simply does not care if he is having sore throat or dry coughs with extreme fever because Imran is not only living for himself, He breathes every day with a hope that his family is safe, he hopes every day that maybe he can find a good wage just so that he can feed his family.
When the 8% gets concerned and say “why are you not taking this seriously? Stay at home!” Imran answers them and justifies his case while leaving no arguments for further discussion
“kya karoun mein, ghar baith gaya tou ghareebi aur bhook mardegi aur agar bahar gaya tou bemaari, kam as kam bahar niklounga aur mazdoori karounga tou bhook se nahi maroonga , woh ziyada dard naak maut hai”
Translation: “what should I do? If I stay home, poverty and hunger is going to kill me and if I go out, then illness. At least if I go out and work, my family won’t die of hunger, and that is a much brutal death”
It’s funny that actually we (the 8%) are so much concerned about these 92% that we beg them to stay home, stay safe. Now you tell me, the man who is living in such critical condition, the man who has no savings at all, the man who is at no point fiscally responsible and all he is earning is literally hand to mouth, how is he safe by staying at home?
The slogan “stay safe, stay home” was already made by and for those people who already have a full life, who already have an ample amount of stock reserved in their inventories, who are already vaccinated by the diseases that came before them and even if they get ill, they still got their meds right with them, everything is already sorted out for them and they are financially strong enough to bear any loss if it comes. Imran is the real victim here, He is the one who gets worried and gets depressed because just by his single wrong move, he can have an unbearable loss.
There are millions of Imran out there who are fighting day and nights for something that is way more worse than coronavirus, If we really want to care, we need to be there for our 92%, then we can say it proudly that yes, we are warriors.
