Daroo Khan Nasar;
LAST night having nothing to do, I took to social media and posted a statement what many in the messages branded as ambiguous. I wrote: ‘nobody is wrong in Pakistan.’ Expectedly those who are wont to brandish intellect flooded my inbox. A friend of mine recalling the bygone time asked: ‘how can a teacher who grows personal grudges with pupils be right?’ perhaps he was alluding to one of our teachers who maintained that it was a pedagogue’s right to take a misbehaving student to account. In order to infuse in his mind the veracity of my statement, I counter questioned him and asked: how are those wrong that make use of their rights? In reply he chuckled which brought the discussion to an end. Another self-proclaimed highbrow whose words I will clothe artistically stated that he who thinks all is well in the realm is insane. This exposition did not stupefy me as nobody is wrong in Pakistan. Yes, I possess the audacity to claim neither my detractors nor I was wrong. Simply, I was right because what I posted on one of my social media accounts was what we, in the academic parlance, call a ‘topical sentence’. A topic sentence, unlike an adage, is shallow without illustrations. Therefore, many of the readers who failed to decipher the intention behind my post hurled arrows at me. Similarly, those who said I was wrong were not wrong either. To prove that I am right to call them right, I will cite my father’s views about writers. My DAD who is not well-read holds that all penmen, after they die, are construed out of context. Not wanting to be called wrong, he comes up with an irrefutable argument: an Urdu poet, he states, utilizes the word “jANAN” for his beloved, who, my Dad thinks, is a often a girl. But a critic who interprets the word pens that the poet here is referring to God. Conclusion: I was right and so were the people who said I was wrong. I was right because I was construed out of context. The people who called me wrong were right because quoting writers out of context is a norm. Coming to the point, here are few reasons why I think everybody is right in Pakistan. Firstly, in politics the supporters of PMLN, disparaging their opponents, claim that the world cup winner is a loser. A person who makes promises but fails to prove that he is as good as his words, they say, cannot be referred to as ‘leader’. They are right. True Leaders, the history stands witness, are those that keep their words. On the other side, in order to spread a veil over Imran Khan’s failures, his supporters state that the corrupt political bigwigs who occupied the throne in past are responsible for the current situation of Pakistan. They are right. There is no denying the fact that Politicians in past were self-centered. Secondly, few days earlier a religious scholar who is prominent for controversial remarks was detained by police. On social media for the first time in history liberals raised slogans in support of a religious scholar. Disapproving the act, they remarked that he who tries to shatter religious status quo are put behind bars without investigation. Detaining people without exploring the matter is, undoubtedly, wrong. Similarly, those who appreciated the act came up with this argument: because the scholar arrested questioned the finality of prophet-hood, he must be taught a lesson. They are right as nobody can compromise on the core values of Islam. Thirdly, parents who are hard on their children think they are right because once spoiled a boy rarely finds his ground back. Children say they are right in opposing their parents for those who are teased ultimately grows anger against their loved ones. Finally, I can boldly conclude that either nobody is wrong or everybody is wrong. No, some are right while others are wrong. But, nobody is ready to accept that he is wrong. Hopefully, using too many ‘right and wrong’ is not wrong.
