What we need for peaceful revolution

People start talking about a revolution when food prices and kitchen item like kerosene skyrocket. Tomato, onion and fuel oil like kerosene went out of the reach of the poor the other day. 

One has to be careful not only for oneself but the road-crossing pedestrians also on the newly-built Islamabad Expressway. Motorcyclists and Suzuki pick-ups with lower middle-class passengers deserve sympathy of the chauffer-driven Land Cruiser and Mercedes of the ministers and the rich.

For one that's not surprising. The fact of the matter is we're not sincere to the cause of Pakistan which came into being after a long, united and arduous freedom struggle against an imperialist power.

The objective still is to make the country into a true Islamic welfare state where the masses do not suffer because of ignorance, exploitation, unemployment, poverty and lack of healthcare etc.

Socio-economic justice to all was the basis on which the Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah demanded Pakistan? Have we become really a Pakistani nation? We need to recall some of the points Mr. Jinnah emphasised.

There are at least three pillars which go to make a nation worthy of possessing a territory and running the government. One is education, without which we are in darkness. Next, no people can ever do anything very much without making themselves economically powerful in agriculture, industry and commerce.

And when we've got the light of knowledge by means of education and when we're strong economically and industrially, then we've got to prepare ourselves for our defence against external aggression and internal security.

The Quaid's appeal to people was to work for the ideals they cherished because there was a great deal more to be done. How much we've done so far, and how much we have yet to work? We all have to work together in the national interest with the motto of unity, faith and discipline like brothers. That's the call of Islam and democracy.

The message is not time-barred. Only true lovers of Pakistan, military and civil, should realise that time has again come for them to shelve dirty politics and lust for power---and devote themselves more and more to the constructive work like educating the masses along their social uplift and economic betterment. The spirit of democracy and socio-economic justice is enshrined in Islam.