The Sheeple of Pakistan

Many years have passed since the people of Pakistan have been complaining about the injustice, illiteracy, poverty and other problems that are being faced by this nation. But till now almost none of them have been dealt with by any government, rather there has been further increase in the number of problems.

Why is it so? Who is the root cause of these problems and who is the obstacle to the solution of these problems?

Most of the Pakistanis would answer that the governments of Pakistan have been both the cause of all the problems, and the obstacle to the solution of these problems, and it is quite true as well. There have been few Pakistani politicians who have ever been sincere to their nation. Most of them are known to be corrupt. They care more about their pockets than the life of a poor person. 

But can any government survive if it is the sole cause of all the problems of a country? Who is keeping such governments in power, while they are being abhorred by the nation?

The answer would be America. Pakistanis would instantly blame The US government of supporting the unpopular Pakistani governments, like they have been doing so in many Arab countries. This is again true, as now even a child knows how The US government kept Mubarak in power for decades and how the Bahraini regime is being supported by them in spite of nation wide protests. They have always supported the governments all around the world who submit to their desires and alter their policies according to their requirements, no matter how much these governments are disliked by the people.

So, what happened to those governments that were being supported by America but were unpopular? And what happens to the people if they successfully get rid of such governments?

A very common response by some Pakistanis would be,”its quite impossible for us to survive without the American aid. If we don’t have a government that is loyal to the US, we will lose everything. We would be deprived of the aid and will have to live hand to mouth”. Well, aren’t the Pakistani people already living hand to mouth? What do the people of Pakistan get out of the aid that is sent by the US? According to the government of Pakistan, 23.1% population of Pakistan is living below the poverty line. For those who don’t know what it means, 23.1% people among the Pakistani population earn less than $ 1.25 a day. So, what are they getting out of the money sent in by The US? Absolutely nothing.

Then what difference will it make for the people of Pakistan if someday Pakistan gets nothing out of the American treasury? There will be no difference at all, because people aren’t getting anything even now. All the aid gets absorbed in the highest levels of Pakistani military and political establishments, and Pakistanis can easily survive without the leftovers that reach them. Besides Pakistan is a very self sufficient country provided the government is interested in the country’s prosperity. It has large gold and copper mines like that of Sandak, it has huge reserves of coal in the Thar desert, it has fertile lands, it has some very appropriate locations for big dams, Baluchistan is full of mineral mines and precious stones. This country doesn’t need any foreign aid; it is the government that needs it. Because they don’t care about the country, they only care for their own bank accounts.

What happened to the people of Iran after they threw out their corrupt monarch who was loyal to the US government? Did they starve to death? Could the US government bring them down to their knees? Aren’t they surviving in spite of all the sanctions imposed on them by the US? Someone would say that they can do it because they have oil. But how did the people of Iran get the oil? Before 1979, The British used to gather all the income from the Iranian oil through its corporations and take it back to their own country. The people of Iran just got a very small share, and that’s why at that time they suffered from the very problems that are now being faced by the people of Pakistan; poverty and illiteracy. They revolted against their corrupt ruler and got hold of their oil and threw the British companies out. Now there are less than 2% among the Iranian people who are living below the poverty line, same as that of The US. Their literacy rate improved dynamically after the revolution. That’s how Iranians got the oil, can’t the people of Pakistan get beck their resources that are being plundered by foreign companies?

What happened to the people of Egypt and Tunisia? Are they now starving to death? Tunisians don’t even have any significant oil reserves, but still its economy is apparently improving after the ouster of Ben Ali. The fact is that the people of Pakistan themselves are responsible for their problems. They are still somehow inclined to bear all the corruption of their politicians, and the problems that they cause. They aren't utilizing their potential to solve their problems and to get rid of the corrupt system. They can’t bring around a change because they don’t want to strive for it, because they aren’t people, they are ‘sheeple’. It’s not very difficult for the politicians to make a fool out of them again and again. They are easily lured in by the false promises of their false leaders. Sheeple of Pakistan wouldn’t see a different day until they don’t start thinking on their own, and don’t start striving for a change. The least they should do is to vote for someone who hasn’t been tested yet. Why vote for those who have always proved to be corrupt, selfish and greedy? Why do they keep on voting for those avaricious people who have always preferred their own desires to the desires of nation? This term ‘sheeple’ isn’t meant to be offensive, it just describes a common tendency among the Pakistanis, that is to follow their leaders blindly, without thinking that their leaders aren’t leading them to a better future, rather they are just fooling them to get themselves rich. Pakistanis are the nation who got a separate country when they strived for it. Thus they have the potential, but they are now lacking the enthusiasm. Once they open their eyes and start thinking for their better future, they would get rid of the current system of corruption and live a far better life than what they are living now.

"Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves." Qura'an, Verse 13:11