Muhammad Javed
The news item in the Gulf Daily News on 20th June 2014 that the Bahrain Parliament has approved to strip down the citizenship of those Bahrainis who hold simultaneously, nationality of any other country, has blown out the air from the balloon of the so called (1½ man plus their one go-getter) local Pakistani community leadership.
There is a common saying in the sub-continent that “ALLAH has not written delivery of any good from the hands of so and so”. This, in the universal doctrine termed that it is not the rule, procedure or a piece of law which delivered justice rather it was the “man” sitting on the chair who, if God had blessed him with public spirit, would “interpret” the two lines of the rule, procedure or law in favour of community at large. But if God had deprived one, he would please himself by interpreting the same lines in depriving the community and stringing the grip of the powers. There was long ago a Pakistani in my company named Shafaq (fake name). When I joined the company I heard that nothing good can come from his hands. During my long service spread over three decades I found and even personally experienced that it was entirely true for him. For example, the husband of his young first-cousin died in an accident. The young widow had small kids with no other source of income. Fortunately to her good luck, instead of her well earning three four cousins/brothers, the individual due to whose fault her husband died turned in true terms a Muslim and a true believer of humanity. He and his family started extending all possible help to the young widow and her children. Once realizing that the small kids were growing up and their needs accordingly were increasing, this kind hearted man asked the widow to write a request petition to the Government for help like free housing, monthly stipend etc. This kind hearted man, who belonged to the elite class, handed over the Petition to the concerned Minister who as usual marked it for report. Through normal channel this petition incidentally landed on the table of same fake named Shafaq just for a brief “service history” of the deceased. Though it was out of his authority, the mean person Shafaq (fake name) true to his snake like nature in addition to the required brief, added, of his own, that the “widow did not deserve any government aid as she had a house and a bank account in Pakistan and thus was not poor”. This was height of a mean natured man going so down.
Last week Aftab Iqbal the writer and anchor on the topic of torture to women in the society, added that medical science confirms that some individuals suffer mental disorder and it pleases and gaves them inner satisfaction if they could inflict whatsoever sort of physical or mental torture to women (or anyone else for that purpose) without any reason by misusing their power, authority or through any other mean.
A few months back an illegal act committed by an overzealous Pakistani functionary under the influence of “power fever” caused an irreversible long lasting damage to the Pakistanis in Bahrain. Under his brain-child act the Pakistani origins blessed by the Bahraini Kingdom with Bahraini nationality in recognition of their long dedicated services were illegally barred from entering into their motherland Pakistan on the strength of their National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis aka NICOPs. Realizing how the act was illegal and discriminatory and in addition finding the unexpected reaction, he soon reverted back his illegal order.
The local Pakistani community leadership (comprising, of “1½ man plus their one go-getter”) seeing the unprecedented community anger, decided to show up their leadership. No doubt this leadership stood up for the affected community at large but the undeniable fact also was that due to the said illegal act this leadership too was personally aggrieved and suffered. As Sheikh Rasheed almost daily says the present rulers take advice from amongst themselves within the family, likewise before practically moving, this leadership did not patiently evaluate what the real issue was and how best easily its effects could be minimized. Without going to consultations and deliberations it started an emotional campaign. It called a gathering in the Club and raised the charged emotions similarly as last week Pakistanis saw Sheikh Rasheed repeatedly yelling before cameras “Imran Sahib just give order, this Government could go in 10 minutes”. The innocent semi literate not understanding exactly what the situation was started raising “Zindabad, Zindabad” in the club.
The (1½ man plus their one go-getter) community leadership later marched towards Islamabad, again without any proper consultations, deliberations and preparations. They met different dignitaries in Punjab and after a weeklong journey, in a re-gathering at the Club, earning showers-of-praises fooled the audience that the tour was most successful and that within the next two weeks like other 16 countries, dual nationality will be allowed in Bahrain also.
This leadership generally depended upon Punjab ruling class not knowing at all that unlike Sindh and KP Governments, the Punjab Government under its official policy do not consider Pakistanis in Middle East as Overseas Pakistanis. That is why many seats meant for foreigner’s quota in medical colleges of Punjab, as per published reports, every year go waste as children of Overseas Pakistanis in Middle East are not treated as foreigners while children from USA, UK, Norway etc are admitted. Dual nationality between two countries is not “Ahmed’s pickle” which gets ripe within two weeks. This process takes months and years involving, proposals, exchange of MOUs, drafts first in lower houses and then in upper, cabinet, legislation etc. It does not get materialized for example by just verbally telling the Government of Punjab etc. This leadership did not update itself before going on leadership march, what was the “official” visa regime between Pakistan and Bahrain. It did not try to take into account what the “policy” of Bahrain towards dual nationalities is.
Where is that (1½ man plus their one go-getter) today? Why now he does not arrange a similar gathering at the same Club so the audience cold re-raise slogans “zindabad zindabad” since “two weeks” have long passed.