It gives me heart ache to see a lot of kids roaming on the streets at the mercy of our society to help them or to let them be beggars or may end up getting in to the hands of a criminal gang to be a potential out law of future. Tomorrow is 14th August, 09. We would see our leaders once again at the flag hosting ceremony, we would listen to their address to the Nation on the media, we would hear there promises once again that they will change the fate of Pakistan by removing poverty, by spreading education, by opening new job opportunities, by rewarding the talented people, by upholding the law, by ensuring respect and due rights for women blah blah blah!
But the thing that we always miss is the governments support to these children on the streets and alot of kids being raised in the central jails for the sins committed by their father or mother. they are also Pakistani citizens although they might not be having the legal documented proof of being a Pakistani Citizen. Their smiles are not an indicator of their ill fate. They have learnt to live life the way the living rights are being given to them. In seminars we condemn the child labor, next day we get our cars fixed from an eleven year old. They observe the world and literally miss every thing that can bring them at par with the kids who live with their parents and who could afford to send them to schools, who could afford to take them to parks and fun lands, who could take them to hill stations in vacations, who could feed them with the clean and healthy food, who could get them a good medical attention if they become ill, who could bring them the toys and gadgets that could make them happy, who could plan their future years in advance.
We see them on the roads, consider them beggars and thieves and simply ignore them. We fail to see the hopes in their eyes which are still there, we fail to see a future A.Q Khan, Imran Khan, An Army General, a leading medical specialist, a natural singer, a talented teacher, an excellent fighter pilot, a man of letters, a future head of the state and a versatile actor in them. All we see is our unknown and un-realistic hatred for them for what they are today. If we part handswith our government and NGOs.
I managed to talk to few of these little kids five to ten years of average age, I could see so much deprivation in their eyes and so much feeling of being neglected when they talk, every one wanted to study, every one had a dream to pursue like our kids, every one wanted to live in a nice clean place and to put on a nice clean dress, every one had a different profession in mind and I met one kid who has seen a movie of Pakistani actor Shan, just one movie and he wanted to become a "Wehshi Gujar" and to beat and kill all the bad guys! Food, clothes and shelter is the basic promise of almost every political party before and after coming in government or in rule. What happens next is quite evident by the presence of thousands of homeless people around in every city who are looked after in elections only for two weeks to get the desired votes and then they are at the mercy of the cruel society. We are making thieves, dacoits,burglars, terrorists on our streets by not providing them food, shelter and education which creates a natural aggression in their behaviour and they want to snatch all the luxuries of life which they see that other are enjoying. Parents only feed them once cause of the poverty and rest two meals they have to earn by working at work shops, restaurants, small businesses or they will snatch it from one their mates who gets food in return of a day's work.
I am sure no body would plan a long march for these kids basic rights as a citizen of Pakistan, Hats off to EdhiFoundation, Anjuman e Faiz ul Islam (orphanage), Ansar Barni Trust, and other NGos which provide education and shelter to these kids.
Our heads of the state should consider people of Pakistan as their family where parents can not sleep if any of their children is suffering or struggling in life. A lot has been bragged about that the fate of Nation is going to be changed, who will promise these kids that their dreams can come true, all of us will join hands to work as a team as a nation to help them pursue a good life, which is their basic right. Its us all who can bring a genuine smile on these little angels innocent faces but we consider it a government's task and leave these human beings to rot their life in the slums cause all we focus is on the fact that our kids sleep in an air conditioned room, if there is no light, the stand by generators or UPS will not disturb their sleep, bank balances are just right enough to get out kids best of the education and living etc. But parents of these homeless kids only worry about the fact that how will they feed their kids with a single meal tomorrow.
We could see a lot of awareness being generated by the media but am sorry to say its more directed towards the fact that how to sell the air time with program where facts are being told in a harsh manner, government officials being humiliated, heads of states being ridiculed to make it funny and worth watching for general public and after that telecast nothing happens in general.
As Pakistani citizens and Muslims its our foremost duty to help these innocent kids to be a useful and effective citizen of Pakistan who can contribute to the over all development and prosperity of Pakistan. We can make their dreams come true, we can take them out of slums and let them live in a respectable manner, we can take them out of complex of being inferior to any one, we can make them all proud Pakistanis. I would request every body to come forward and give their share in re-habilitation of these ignored and helpless kids and their families. I have seen a lot sorrow, depression and helplessness when they communicate but I can still see a lively spirit in all of them to celebrate 14th August, some of them carrying small flag flags, some of them having a flag affixed their donkey and horse carts etc, Can our leaders have mercy on them and Allah might have mercy on them (leaders) as well.
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