WHILE there has been a political storm and a furore over the Wazirabad incident, the people and the media have completely ignored the man who died on the spot. I have no words to express my sorrow on the tragic scene which was captured in a short video on social media about the man lying dead in the street and his three little children trying desperately to help their bleeding father, unaware that the man had died already.

The most brutal part was the complete, utter and shameful reaction to his death by those who were around, including policemen and security officials.

They could be seen taking up positions to tackle the ‘attacker’ while ignoring the man on the ground who was hit by a bullet and was lying in a pool of blood as if he was dead already. Maybe he was, but the point is that nobody had the good sense to check if he needed help. It was callous, to say the least.

Was the man’s life not as important as any other life? To his family, especially the children, he was the world. It was clear evidence how society treats us based on our ‘status’, and in the end the life of the poor turns out to be less precious than of the elite. Even the poor believe that much, or, else, they would have nothing but hatred for the elite.

Our society has become insensitive. It stands desensitised to human misery. Why do we expect only our politicians to lead us to the right path? Every individual has to play a role to make society a better place to live in.

We have been struggling for the last 75 years for equality, but it looks like we still have a colonial mindset which has programmed us to automatically, perhaps unconsciously, care about the high and mighty while treating the masses — us — like dirt.

We may never prosper as a nation unless we free ourselves of this colonial mindset and work for the welfare of the people, who are the real owners of the state.

Jalal Anwar
Mardan

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2022