Pakistan – 5 years later Due to a series of events and responsibilities, I wasn’t able to make a visit to my homeland for a while, more specifically, I hadn’t visited my hometown, Islamabad for 5 years. I’m no one special – your average Pakistani engineer working abroad with strong family, emotional and patriotic ties to this beautiful city & country. Ok, maybe I’m a little more optimistic than the average Pakistani, but sadly, this visit is one that is steadily replacing the optimism with a more cynical and pessimistic view.
Islamabad, a city known for being 26km away from Pakistan, is starting to resemble a city under siege, yet the citizens of this city no longer remind you of the city’s namesake. There are road barriers and police checkpoints at nearly every intersection, but no one is being checked, and nothing is being protected. This has just become part of life for people living in the capital of the world’s second largest producer of fabric, with a population of 180 million people. The reason for the indifference is quite simple – they have more important things to worry about – like how they will keep their children warm while its -5C outside and there is no gas in the pipes to power the heaters, or how they will feed those children. I’m fortunate enough to not have to go through this struggle, and I am also knowledgeable enough to understand the need for heightened security – a quick glance at the local news channel reminds one that the country is at war with a faceless enemy. But, I have to believe that there is a better solution to this problem. The nation needs to set its priorities, and its needs to do it quickly.