Freudenfreude

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THIS is with reference to the letter ‘Gen-Z in slumber’ (Aug 9) about the recent events in India where sustained pressure by young individuals forced a federal minister to resign. Initially, the Indian government reacted the way most governments in developing countries tend to when faced with mass dissent, but then had to bow before the pressure exerted by the youth.

For long, our own youth in Sindh has been facing circumstances that are possibly worse than in India, and there have been some protests as well, but nothing has resulted in a national debate so far.

Across social media, Pakistanis have been celebrating a victory in which they contributed nothing. This is nothing but ‘freudenfreude’, which means celebrating someone else’s win as if it were our own.

Mujeeb Khoso
Kandhkot

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2026

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