Pakistan Day and the state of affairs.

WITH Pakistan Day being celebrated in the country today, we would do well to wonder for a while if the day is being 'celebrated' or merely 'observed'. Away from the official pressers about the customary 'zeal' and 'fervour' marking the day, the stark reality of instability and uncertainty is hard to ignore. The country that is being handed down to the young generation is far from the country that the forefathers had talked and worked for.

How bleak is the state of affairs of the state of Pakistan can be seen from the country's position on the Global Hunger Index (GHI) where it is ranked 99th out of 121 countries. Those below us happen to be all African countries with the exception of Afghanistan and Yemen. But rather than feeling ashamed of our placement, many of us have a reason to rejoice; India is ranked 107th. That should mean we have nothing to worry about, right?

This attitude of complacency and lack of urgency towards addressing the pressing issue of hunger and mal-nutrition in the country are disappoin-ting and disheartening. The fact is that our GHI ranking is a grim reminder of the deep-rooted food crises and grossly unequal distribution of resources plaguing the land.

The insidious grip of economic inequa- lity, coupled with the vested interest of the ruling elite, has left the masses to wither away in a vicious state of perpetual hunger and misery.

The suffering of the impoverished masses, who are forced to sleep hungry and consider it a stroke of luck to receive more than one meal per day, is a lasting mark on our national conscious- ness, if such a consciousness even exists. Their potential to contribute to the development of the country remains untapped and wasted, as their physical and mental growth are stunted by the scourge of malnutrition. The heart-wrenching reality of this situation is simply too much to bear, and it is high time we addressed this humanitarian crisis with the urgency and empathy it deserves.

The citizens are well aware of the rhetoric of their heartless leaders. The constant blame-game...