It seems nothing has changed in Pakistan. Two days back, I was reading a newspaper, and I had been closely reading the Letter to the Editor section. Suddenly, my eyes stick at the heading, ‘Nothing has changed’ and it brought my attention.
The letter was written by a reader named, K.M Shafi from Karachi, and it was really worth reading. Mr. Shafi referred a news story that a train driver stopped the train in the middle of the track and bought yoghurt from a shop.
The act of the driver was recorded by a passenger that went viral on social media. The incident happened on Dec 8, 20221 near Kahna railway station, Lahore. Although, the railway minister suspended the driver Muhammad Shahzad and his assistant Iftikhar Hussain, Mr. Shafi reminded the similar incident two decades ago, which reported on Dec 7, 2001.
Two decades ago, the incident reported on Dec 7, 2001, titled ‘Unauthorised train stop’ was also about a train driver who would daily purchase milk from a shop along the railway line by illegally stopping the train between the Karachi Airport and Malir Halt stations.
Now, the same incident happened on Dec 2021, which shows no difference in the railway system despite passing two decades. Today, the major difference is the presence of mass social media, active electronic media, and the present smartphone era. The technology has changed the landscape of the world and the transition is on.
The masses have smartphones on their hands and high quality cameras are installed in them. As a result, the latest incident not only reported by local media but regional media as well, thus, the minister forced to take the action against the train driver and his assistant.
Why there is no proper system in Pakistan? There is no check and balance and lawlessness is rampant. The judiciary system seems inefficient and unable to provide justice, and its prime example is the case of missing persons. I would like to conclude here that only those nations survive and prosper in the world who believe in the welfare of their people and provide justice.
By Nasir TaimooriÂ
Nasir Taimoori is a Karachi-based freelance journalist working for different digital publications. He writes on various social, national and international issues. He has also a deep interest in translation from English to Urdu and vice-versa.
