Zaheer-ud-Din Babar
The impact of the corona virus is being feltworldwide. In Pakistan, this epidemichas vastly impactedPakistan’s social, economic and political landscape. Although the government is trying its best to handle the international epidemic but ground realties show that itmust take time for the measures taken to bear fruit. Obviously, a country like Pakistanhas already facednumerous problems .In recently years, the people of Pakistanhave suffered huge loss during the war on terror. By the Grace of Allah, our security forces and the will of the common man, ourcountry has overcomeits worst law and order situation. However, the thing that will truly test the resilience of the Pakistani people is the corona virus.
The important thing to note is that all four provinces have cases of thecorona virus. Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, also has cases of the corona virus. In this situation,our Armed forces have openly show their concern and determination in getting rid of this pandemic. Recently, during theCore Commanders Conference, the military leadership firmly announced that, to defeat the corona virus, the Pakistan army stands shoulder to shoulder with the people.
Unfortunately, due to lack of an education,millions of Pakistanis have never understood their responsibilities. They do not understand, in order to defeat the corona virus,precautions must be taken. It is encouraging to see that the country’s print and electronic media are performing their duties with responsibility but it is quite clear that in this regard, much more is needed.
Avoiding hands and hugs (as a precautionary measure to avoid the spread of corona virus), hashad a deepimpact on the Pakistani society. Pakistanis feel annoyed whenanother person avoid handshakes andhugs. We all know that shaking hands with each other is a part of our tradition .Our religious scholars also insist thatshaking hands and hugging each other creates harmony between people.
The corona virus hasalso hit other various aspects of our society. For example, due to prevailing situation in the country, in some areas of the country, the government has requestedpeople to avoid any kind of political, religious and social gathering. One important suggestion is that avoiding gathering in mosque for the five prayers. Apparently, all these acts which are linked to our religious life have changed because of Ijtehadi thought. We all know that there are around 55 Muslim countries only. Turkey and Malaysia are considered moderate Muslim Statesbut the majority of the Muslim stateshave still not understood their issues and the solutions of the issues. It is an important fact to note that Pakistan is also a very much modernMuslim state. We have Democratic system here which israre in Muslim countries. Some Muslimobservers have commented that if theMuslims world wants to overcome all regional and international issues, thenthey must have a progressive approach. In recent developments, the important point to note is that the corona virus, in a way, tells human beings that their development are not enough to prevent a virus from wreaking havoc on the globe.
