Our inhumanity as a nation.

A society in which inhumanity becomes the norm is in serious turmoil. According to the great humanist: Abdul Sattar Edhi, 'Humanity is the biggest religion'. All his life, he served humans; mostly downtrodden and the destitute. From burying unclaimed dead bodies or raising abandoned children, he did it all. It is mind boggling that in the 22st century, which is known as the 'Information Age' why have human beings been ignored? There must be some underlying reasons that have been overlooked.

For some, it is the best of times while for a vast majority it is the worst. While the democratic United States claims to have a high per capita income, the autocratic regime in China claims that no one is rotting below the poverty line in the People's Republic. These are interesting times. Despite its hiccups, technology has produced restraint in the world. Currently humanity is battling with the pandemic that has claimed several lives both in the developed and developing world. US and India are the hardest hit nations. The recently developed vaccines have kindled some hope, their large-scale administration is now anxiously awaited.

Abbottabad records 40.30pc COVID-19 positivity ratio: NCOC

Our journey as a nation started on very humane grounds. Despite all the faults, Pakistanis are one of the highest charity-paying nations of the world, yet the poverty line has not gone down. In its over seven decades of existence, the periods of human development have been limited (1947 to 1958, 1971 to 1977 and now a fresh attempt 2018 to date).

The entire state apparatus is no build on 'Inhumane Practices', where the common man does not count. Just one trip to any police station can reveal the facts. 'No money, no service' is the operating principle, no wonder whosoever calls, including the Inspector General (IG) everyone operates independently and has a financial target to meet. Almost the entire staff complains of lack of funds to operate so they are required to fetch for themselves.

The constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has several human rights clauses which are mostly ignored. The list includes: Article 8, the declaration that any law inconsistent with any of the fundamental rights shall be void; Article 9, ensures security of a person; Article 10, safeguards against arrest and detention; Article 10(A), right to fair trial; Article 11, prohibition on slavery and forced labour; Article 12, protection against retrospective punishment; Article 13...