• • • Get aside, get aside !

This happened twice within ten minutes. I got off to canal from Jail Road towards the Punjab University. As I reached the FCC underpass, an elite force mobile van came rushing from the behind with the hooter on. It was escorting a black Toyota Corolla with a 'Government of the Punjab' plate and a Pakistan flag on the left side, probably a provincial minister traveling in it. Two epolice officer almost hung outside from each side of the van, with a gun each in their hands, pointed at cars traveling along, shouting, 'gaari side pai karein.. gari side pai karein,' "get aside, get aside. " As if there shouting wasn't enough, they made rude gestures with their hands with an even ruder and uglier look on their faces.

I moved to one side of the road, in fact almost off the road, with loud swears on my lips. Only a minute or two had passed that a similar incident happened again. This time gesturing and shouting got even worse. I felt humiliated and disgusted. It felt as if I was some second grade citizen, ruled by these high head opportunist politicians traveling in black Toyotas, who claim to be my 'servants' with their chief minister calling himself 'Khadim-e-Aala' or 'Chief Servant' of Punjab. Here are his ministers (khadims), traveling in a fast lane with literally no regard for the people whom they serve, or at least that's the claim.

When I was about to get off from the campus bridge, I saw another such motorcade coming, but thankfully I wasn't to be insulted this time, but others would have to bear what I had gone through, twice, all in the name of 'VIP movement.' In the process, we the 'aam awam' or the common people are made to feel our actual status, NIA, Not Important At all.

Somebody I know who lives in the DHA narrated another similar incident, this time involving the 'Khadim-e-Aala' himself. Khadim-e-Aala or the Chief Servant sahab resides in DHA, and every morning when he travels from his residence to his office, the roads of DHA give a picture of an active battlefield, with personnel armed with G3s covering almost every inch of the vicinity. The motorcade consists of innumerable number of vehicles, with Khadim-e-Aala sitting in one of the several bullet proof Mercedes cars, surrounded by elite force and his personal security guards. The whole area is literally cordoned off, allowing only the 'Khadim-e-Aala' sahab to travel and any cars that come in the way get heavy doses of shouting, gesturing or even rude knocks on the hood of the car. If that is how a 'khadim' lives, I wonder what would than a master's life be.