People Still Care

Today I witnessed an event; the consequence of which was the dawn of a significant realization upon me. In itself, the event was not that remarkable, but it had far-reaching implications. This afternoon found me standing next to the Daman-e-Koh entrance, waiting for a friend. Being Islamabad, the month of July, and 43 degrees, naturally I was all hot and bothered by the intense heat. Nearby, there was a broken pipe that had been gushing water like a fountain for over 45 minutes before these two beggar kids arrived at the spot. One of them immediately rushed to a nearby tree and started peeling off branches. He started beckoning and shouting to his friends, asking them to help, maintaining that “paani zaya ho raha hai” (the water is being wasted). With their help, he stuffed the tree branches in the hole of the pipe and stopped the water from leaking and wasting.

While on the outer surface this incident may not seem to be particularly remarkable, it is what this occurrence implies that is of essence. Consider Ali: a nine-year old boy who belongs to the lowest class of people in Pakistan. He makes his living by selling flowers to car drivers on the roads. He suffers the brunt of all the crisis Pakistan is going through the most. And yet, today while others chose to simply look on and remain indulged in their apathy, Ali chose to care. This small act of his shows that he is aware of and cares about the fact that water is already scarce in our country, and it should not be wasted. It shows that he cares about Pakistan; the country which has forced him to make a scrimpy living by selling flowers in the sweltering heat; as well as about the people of Pakistan, most of whom he encounters on the roads and whom he gets told off by regularly for ‘being an annoyance’.

Considering the crisis our country is presently going through, a kid like Ali shines like a beacon of hope for all of us. This seemingly insignificant act of his shows that while conditions here may go from bad to worse, and from worse to worst, only to realize that the worst is yet to come, there are people here who still care about Pakistan and fellow Pakistanis. People who are ready to brave all that our corrupt governments are throwing at us, and more. People who are willing to pull out a last-ditch effort to save their beloved homeland, when the time is right. And while such people exist, you know your country is in safe hands.