Lie in Action ...Irfan Bukhari......the Nation

She was fulminating on the organisers of the workshop and according to her it was an extravaganza on public exchequer with no fruitful results while having a chunk of pineapple cake in one hand and a cup of sizzling coffee in the other.Dressed up to nines she, a human rights’ activist, was participating in the event at the organiser’s sponsored air ticket and also enjoying an executive suit in a four star hotel of the capital. Speaking English in an artificial accent she said, “ These NGOs in collaboration with international donors and Pakistani ministries are serving nothing at grass root levels. They just deliberate and debate in cold, cosy halls and waste huge amount of money”.She was insistently flaying the trend of conducting seminars and workshops. Taking a bite of sandwich, she noted that she had grave concerns over the culture. She is not alone in criticising the holding of indoor moots. In every such event you would have observed such kind of cognitive dissonance theory stricken ladies and gentlemen. They feel no hesitation in receiving air fares, enjoying tranquil sleeping rooms, sitting in the front rows in a bid to get limelight in media, raising questions and suggesting advices in ‘You Know’ replete English, playing fork and knife at dinning tables, making new friends, shaking hands with ministers and getting certificates. Then why, why they harshly criticise the whole process? Do they want to satisfy their inner selves? Do they desire people’s attraction? Do they want to exhibit their loyalty towards the nation & country? Don’t they have anything else to say to register their contribution in the conference? Are they habitual critics? And in the end has the culture of hypocrisy taken roots so deeply into our national character?May be all such factors play a role to some extent but one thing is dead sure that hypocrisy has emerged as our common habit. We abhor America but dream to get its visa. We condemn corrupt politicians but always cast vote for them. We lambast child labour but employ them to serve in our homes. We dislike dictatorship but not support pro democracy movements by heart and soul. We wish rule of law but do not feel reluctant in violating it. A man or woman when says that such seminars can not introduce any remarkable change in incumbent scenario, he or she must also tell the feasible way to resolve the knots. If they are sincere in their criticism they should not attend such events to be loyal with their own conviction. Abraham Lincoln once said, “He has the right to criticise who has the heart to help”. If critics can do some thing marvellous at the ground then what bars them to do so. “ Hypocrite is man who complains that there is much vulgarity on TV nowadays”, said some anonymous and he said very well. If the critics of seminars and workshops take it as a mere waste of monetary resources then why they become the partners in crime? In the end a quote of Robertson be remembered that notes, “ There are three things in the world that deserve no mercy: hypocrisy, fraud and tyranny”.