He opened the newspaper with a jerk, his demeanor showing anger as if he wanted to tear the paper into pieces.
“Thirty billion rupees could have been saved, but it wasn’t. Look at the state of Pakistan,” he lamented repeatedly, either out of habit or genuine concern for the country’s condition.
“Have you read this in the newspaper as well?”
“So what? Saving thirty billion is no small matter. If the country needs to cut some institutions to save money, then what about our country? If it’s our country, then it’s us. But why don’t people understand this?”
“Didn’t Kaisar Bengali understand it?”
“Oh, we can also understand that cutting big expenses, cutting down on institutions, and reducing unnecessary expenses for VIPs is necessary. Why is so much relief given to the rich? They should also be charged for their electricity, water, and gas bills.”
“These are allowances. You don’t know, Cha Cha Barkat.”
“We read the news about Pakistan’s situation. We all know. Why do such high-ranking rich people need these benefits? It’s the people like Rahmat Ali who need it. That poor man spends the whole day in the sun guarding our homes. Do you know how high his electricity bill was? He was extremely worried.
“Cha Cha, Rahmat Ali is an employee of a security agency.”
“So, how much does he get in salary? And our own home’s bill is so high that you wouldn’t believe it.”
“But Cha Cha Barkat! You receive a pension while sitting at home.”
“Yes, I do receive it, but listen further. The newspaper writes about everything. Pensioners are also crying. Look at the inflation. With the pension money, what can one do? The electricity might go out at any time. Look at Pakistan’s situation.”
“How can Pakistan’s situation improve?”
The question was complex. Cha Cha Barkat folded the newspaper and set it aside. Deep shadows of concern were in his old eyes.
“Son, the truth is, Pakistan was broken in ’71 when East Pakistan became Bangladesh. But by some divine intervention, it has survived. It seems like attempts have been made to break it from all sides, but it still stands, and God willing, it will continue to stand. However, it has always been engulfed in persistent problems, whether internal conspiracies or external pressures, and an overload of debts. Many institutions have become chronic issues.”
“Cha Cha Barkat, where are you pointing?”
“You read the newspaper, don’t you? Look at Pakistan’s situation. The Steel Mill used to be a steel body for us, but due to government negligence or corruption by high officials, it now suffers a loss of fourteen crores daily.”
“Do you think selling the Steel Mill will improve the country’s situation? You read different newspapers all day; what do you think?”
“The price they were asking for the mill was, according to our estimates, extremely inappropriate. Well, the then Chief Justice intervened and ended the matter. But even then, and now, I am completely against selling our national institutions to foreigners. There’s a news about someone from India who used to spend money like water on his children’s weddings…”
“Mukesh Ambani…” It slipped from the lips as he was deep in thought.
“Yes, yes, him. The one Modi’s government made immensely rich by involving him in the arms trade.”
“But Cha Cha Barkat, what does Mukesh Ambani have to do with this?”
“Well, his brother Anil Ambani also had an eye on our Steel Mill. Should we sell it to a competitor just to quench a hunger?”
“But it’s said that no one is buying it now.”
“Let them not buy it. But there, too, expenses, corruption, thefts, and land grabs are all written in newspapers. What’s hidden? Look at the country’s conditions and people’s greed. This country is like our mother. How long will we loot her?” Cha Cha Barkat became emotional and was breathing heavily.
“Cha Cha Barkat, the question remains: how can we improve our country’s situation?”
Cha Cha’s eyes were moist.
“Son, even a child knows how to keep his bag, books, and uniform clean.”
“Cha Cha Barkat, it’s not that simple.”
“It isn’t difficult either, son! Because instead of improving mischievous children, we have taken the responsibility of making things worse. We are creating mafias in every institution, even turning our electricity, water, and gas departments into monsters. Common people are unaware of economic issues and policies. But the truth is, we are drifting away from our religion, forgetting equality in our biases. We have created terms like fallen man, common man, special man, and very special man, and we are entangled in these. Neither are our bags clean, nor our books, nor our uniforms.”
“What do you mean?”
“I only mean Islam, son!” he picked up the folded newspaper.
“Is this written in the newspaper, Cha Cha Barkat?” His reasoned argument was quite impressive.
“The newspaper contains news, son! The Almighty has already given us a complete way of life in the form of the Quran fourteen hundred years ago. But we have always turned away from it, and look at the state of the country we got in the name of Islam.” He smiled and opened the newspaper again.
“So, will our country’s situation never improve?” Tears welled up.
“I haven’t said that, because despair is infidelity, son!” He answered with a smile, looking away from the newspaper.