We love to hate Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussian

Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain is many things but currently he is an anchorperson and is associated with the BOL channel. Recently, he made headlines again when he visited Myanmar along with the famous TV host Waqar Zaka to highlight the plight of the Rohingya Muslims, who are facing atrocities at the hands of the Myanmar authorities. Reportedly he was detained at the Rangoon airport when he told the local authorities about the nature of his visit and then was later deported. He has safely reached Pakistan. 

On the home front, his sojourn to Myanmar has ignited a variety of reactions; some have applauded him for his step while many keeping in mind his persona and past antics called the whole initiative just a TRP exercise. Some even went a step ahead and called that he did not even had the ticket or visa to go to Myanmar and all this is mere cosmetics.  

The reality is that we all love to hate Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain. We call him a poser but his Ramzan transmission has the highest TRP ratings. We blame him for commercialization of Ramzan but somewhere in-between we forget about all the price hiking and black marketing that takes place during Ramzan. We question his antics on television but forget that up to what extent we go, on the national television for unique kee bike or a Q-mobile. I accept that Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain is not perfect but is he the only thing that is wrong with us and our society? Blaming him does not rid us of what we are. Like any other human he must have a good side but this does not attract our attention because you cannot mock a person for a good deed and this also do not fulfill our ulterior motive which is to fetch ourselves as many as likes or re-tweets possible. In order to become sarcastic we are fast becoming pejorative.

Today only negativity sells and we are the biggest buyers of all. In our pursuit of negativity, we have become myopic to the extent that we have ceased to appreciate positivity of any kind. We believe there is conspiracy behind everything even if it is Pakistan’s Champion trophy victory or Malala winning the Nobel peace prize. We think so low of ourselves, that we believe that we lack the spine to achieve anything on our own. How someone like Malala who has become a face of girl education and female rights, internationally can be our enemy. Even if we suppose that she is a western stooge for a minute, in short an imposter still what she represents by all means is only good and best for our girls. If you do not want to support Malala, do not do it but support her message. Sometimes it does not matter who is saying, the thing that really matters is what he or she is saying. In our hate for that particular person we forget this very thing. We refuse to accept the possibility that something good can come out of that person.

This brings me back to Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain and his visit to Myanmar. Suddenly all of us have become altruistic but none of this altruism is directed towards the Rohingya Muslims instead we are praying for the martyrdom of Dr. Amir Liaquat Hussain in Myanmar. Various memes are being made and shared on the social media websites which mock him and his initiative. I guess somewhere in their heads they still think that all of this is just some segment of his game show but in actuality it is not and mind you martyrdom is not some “lawn kee sale” that anyone can get it.

Personally, I think that even if it is just a symbolic gesture on his part it is more powerful than most of the words we have said in the support of the Rohingyas and is above all the mock and flogging he is receiving at the moment mainly because it involves a practical action. He could have joined all those who are busy beating their chests and are giving empty rhetoric on media platforms in support of Rohingya Muslims and against the government of Myanmar, believe me he could have done this better than all of them but instead he choose to go there in person, to experience their misery first hand. This feat is worthy of being copied, if not copied then surely it should be appreciated and encouraged. This is the least we all can do. Until when we will continue to play the crowd to a lynching, silent witnesses to a vani or a kar-o-karee or will continue to vote ourselves out? We have to stand for ourselves. Before anything we should realize and recognize that there is a problem in our collective attitudes and behaviors and it needs to be rectified. We have to grow patience and respect for others and their actions which do not conform to us. We should respect the personal space of the others if we want our personal space to be respected.  

We should realize that it is not the face but the message that matters.

(A version of this piece has been published by the blog section of the Express Tribune on 15th September, 2017)