ARY is into the 5th day of its 7-day boycott of sugar.Their promotion ad for the boycott is long and, to a certain extent, convincing. I give them credit for DOING SOMETHING about the problem, instead of churning the issue through discussions and analyses. The way they are encouraging others to join them is also admirable. But I have just one question. Perhaps, I'm playing a devil's advocate when I say this: is this the REAL solution? So, every time they create a shortage of any food item, does that mean we hurl ourselves into a knee-jerk reaction of boycotting that particular item? Then what are we gonna eat?? So, gradually we just stop EATING?? ARY's tagline is: we don't really need that much of sugar to begin with. We can do without it. Really??! I mean I'm with you if you're talking about the 10 cups of tea every Pakistani loves to have with 3 teaspoons of sugar every day.....yeah we can cut back from a health point of view....but jokes aside, what are we really achieving through this boycott?? It's not bringing into light the fact of the matter: sugar is being kept locked up in these mills and withheld intentionally.
Boycotting to me translates into compelling us to live with the problem. "You don't want to give us the sugar, then fine...we don't want it actually to begin with." I just can't accept this logic. This solution, for me, has some major pitfalls. Why should we live with the problems that our supposed ''leaders'' are throwing our way? We've adopted this stance for the last 60+ years. Now's the time to say enough is enough. Why aren't these problems being addressed? Substantial steps need to be taken to address the core of the issue. Simply sitting by and rationalizing that we can do without basic necessities is a solution that is pacifying at best, and misleading at worst. It's a solution that diverts attention from the root cause of the issue. While we sit back and boycott, the ''geniuses'' who created this sugar crisis, remain unaffected. They're not being held accountable for this hoarding. That's what's needed!
These avaricious behemoths, who live on the principles of gluttony and iniquity, should be castigated. The public should demand the release of the hoarded sugar by staging a peaceful protest. Go and engulf one of the thousands of mills and demand the doors be opened. Demand accountability! Will it work? I hope so. Will it get violent? I hope not. But, in my opinion, asserting that you don't need sugar to begin with and showing you suddenly don't care that it's not available, only puts a smile on the faces of these gluttons.
Show us the faces of these mill-owners who aren't even blinking an eye at what they're doing! Rehman Malik and "Khadim-e-Punjab" blabbed 2 months ago about taking strict action against these mill-owners within 24 hours? It's been 2 months and 1440 hours later----where's the strict action?!!
The bigwigs all know who is behind this....so if anyone with the authority of law enforcement has an iota of a conscience, they'd march over there right now, seize the mills, and arrest and imprison these mill-owners. Lack of accountability of actions and consequent punishment is the crux of every crisis that faces us. There's a gross ineptness in both departments. Of course, once upon a time, the CJ had sworn and pledged something to the effect of being there for the people and ensuring their concerns will be addressed. Somehow, it seems, either the CJ is suffering from a bad case of amnesia or he's too preoccupied polishing and shining his medals and awards that have been bestowed upon him by a group of people who probably can't even say his name correctly.
Amidst the bitter, fetid, and vile events unfolding these days.......sugar was the one sweet thing we had left.
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