Condemn nation

Newton’s third law of motion states that ‘For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.’ Had Newton lived in Pakistan he may have been forced to revisit this claim, as here actions tend to have disproportionate reactions.

But then, this is the country where Agha Waqar, of the water-kit fame, decided that the second law of thermodynamics could be ignored. Unfortunately for my wallet, my car’s engine disagrees.

We have a national tendency towards outrage. That’s understandable; given how much we have to be outraged about, from mismanagement, terrorism and nepotism to the lunatic fringe madness of disinterring Hindu corpses from a ‘Muslim’ graveyard. There is a great deal in our house that is out of order, and it all must be called out.

That’s our duty as conscientious citizens, and the loudness of our voices is usually in inverse proportion to our ability to change things in any meaningful way. That doesn’t mean we should shut up, close our eyes and think of England.

Sometimes, of course, another country does something vile or incredibly stupid. In this case I refer to the sedition charges, now dropped, filed against Kashmiri youth for allegedly celebrating Pakistan’s cricket win.

Schadenfreude is fun. It’s even better when our big eastern neighbour does something stupid, whether it’s the Shiv Sena going ballistic or this latest flap. So it’s natural for us to go a little too far on this, and enjoy every second of it for as long as it lasts. Because we know, deep inside, that we’ll probably top it very soon.

So, as usual, many people took to social media and such to condemn, and also mock, that ham-handed decision.

There was naturally a reaction. Apart from the ultranationalist Indians busy cursing Pakistan, there were also those who pointed to what they saw as the inherent hypocrisy of Pakistanis condemning something happening in another country when there is so much to criticise at home.

That’s an interesting point. Given all that is wrong in Pakistan, have we no right to critique any perceived injustice anywhere in the world?

To an extent, there is a point here. Pakistan is no paragon of equality and virtue after all, and condemnation, like charity, must begin at home. To recognise a problem is the first step in fixing it, and there’s a great deal we need to fix.

But, and this is important, it is entirely possible to recognise what is wrong with our own country and yet also have the temerity, as some would put it, to call out other nations for their misdeeds. To believe otherwise creates a very problematic precedent.

That would mean, by extension, that citizens of a country that has ever perpetuated misdeeds can never condemn the misdeeds of others. It would also mean that individuals are entirely responsible for, and bear the collective guilt of, their nation’s crimes of both omission and commission.

Can an Australian citizen, for example, condemn the treatment of native populations in other countries, given his own country’s horrific behaviour towards the aborigines? Can a Hutu condemn ethnic cleansing in the Congo? They can, so long as they are honest about their own countries’ actions.

Yes, there are those who will whitewash any misdeeds that happen here out of some misplaced patriotism, much like thinking that not paying attention to something will somehow make it go away, like a child playing hide and seek by covering his eyes.

And on the other end of the spectrum are those who will simply criticise and condemn out of what seems to be the force of habit, or perhaps peer pressure.

Or perhaps it’s because they’re having a bad day and need to vent. That’s understandable; we’ve all been there and catharsis, like electricity, is in short supply.

Worst of the lot are those who will leap on you, demanding that your condemnation be phrased exactly the way they want it. Joining them is the “but what about…” crowd.

The ones who shout: “But what about drone victims?” when anyone speaks out against a terror attack. “Why don’t you talk about other terror victims?” they’ll scream, if you should happen to tweet a tribute to Fizza Malik. Not even a 12-page disclaimer condemning every wrong in the world from Neanderthal genocide to the sacking of Rome to Rohingya massacres will satisfy them.

As for the rest of us, it wouldn’t hurt to slow down, take a breath and realise that when we point a finger, three fingers point back right at us. That does not mean, of course, that we should just keep our hands in our pockets for fear of the outrage Nazis. The writer is a member of staff.

zarrar.khuhro@gmail.com Twitter: @ZarrarKhuhro