CHITRAL: By now there should be no doubt in any body’s mind that we in Pakistan generally live in an unscrupulous society, at least in financial matters, where any one who gets a chance in any way tries to make money trampling scruples, ethics and honesty.

A person in Chitral (Shakeel) narrated a very disheartening and mind boggling account to this scribe. Shakeel said he went to a cloth seller to buy some cloth for Eid dress. He knew the shopkeeper from before and asked him to give him the cloth at a good price i.e taking minimum profit. The shopkeeper gave him the cloth and charged him four hundred rupees. Just then another customer entered the shop and without much ado chose the same cloth of the same measurement. When he asked the price, the shopkeeper quoted him fifteen hundred rupees. The customer happily paid and went away with the cloth. When Shakeel asked the shopkeeper “why did you charge the customer fifteen hundred rupees, whereas you charged me only four hundred, the answer was “If I had quoted the price as four hundred rupees he would not have bought it considering it too cheap”.

The above little quote from everyday life in Chitral, reflects life all over Pakistan — Nothing is straight, nothing is honest. Whether it is the shopkeeper or the shopper, both are sailing in the same boat.

It does not take funds or grants or aid or budget to improve governance in the country. Governance whether it be in official matters or public and private lives of the people. It only needs resolve and commitment from the government, using the mosques, religious preachers, media etc and above all setting personal example flowing down from the top, to get out of the quagmire of immorality we are in. .. CN report, 28 July 2020