Friday, April 4, 2008

Why Gilgitis and Baltis want to escape?

According to a survey, thousands of Pakistanis desire to leave their ‘beloved’ country and settle abroad. Are we close to be at par with Iraq and Afghanistan. How strange that Pakistani citizens are sick and tired of their country but the so-called `visionary’ leaders of Baltistani and Gilgiti are trying to persuade our innocent and simple people that we should integrate ourselves into Pakistan and become part of it. So what is so lovely about Pakistan that we should integrate with it? If it is so lovely, why majority of its 160 million citizens want to leave the country. Let us announce free visas for Pakistanis to EU and USA and see how many stay behind. I bet they will kill each other to get in the line first. Let us have a reality check. BBC in its report has ignored the fact that every year hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis spend millions of rupees to get visas for EU, USA, Canada, Australia and so on. They even cross oceans by ships, trapped in closed air-tied containers like animals and many die on the way. They travel via land across Iran, Turkey and into EU and again lose precious lives. They prefer to lose their lives while making an attempt to leave it, but would not opt for staying in Pakistan indefinitely? I have never heard of any Muslim making such an effort to reach Makkah. This desperation speaks for itself that Pakistanis do not think their country as a place worth living. Alas! this simple logic does not make a dent in the determination of our Balti and Gilgiti ‘political leaders who day in and day out chant the slogan of ‘Pakistan is our only destination’. Should we just laugh or try to rescue the 98% of Baltis who are simple minded and also helpless (barring 2% ‘merge-with-Pakistan-as-5th-province-slogan-chanting-visionaries’ who have enough wealth and backing of the establishment). For sure, poor Baltis and Gilgitis care for their economic prosperity over political rhetorics and myths. For sure, they will also leave Pakistan and its unjust political system if given a choice. For sure, they also see no economic respite if remained stuck with Pakistan. So if the Baltis and Gilgitis are too readily to leave Pakistan under a fair option, then why the land of Baltisan and Gilgit should remain trapped with Pakistan? How does that make any sense? Baltis and Gilgitis would be leaving Pakistan under desperation to improve their economic and political standards leaving behind the establishment to take care of the endless resources of the region. Wouldn’t it be great if Baltis and Gilgitis retained their place of birth and identity.

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