As thousands die.....

We have been in lock-down for three weeks, and it has been extended for another two, although there are reports that in parts of Karachi and practically all other cities in Pakistan, people have come out in droves. It's easy to understand why. Humans are not made to remain in isolation, and if this pandemic had happened twenty years back (when there was no social media or Whattsapp), the isolation would have been unbearable. Now we are in daily contact with our friends and relatives in other countries, so it isn't so bad.

And now the bad news. For those who were wondering why there have been no reports of widespread deaths, hundreds of people are suspected of having succumbed to Covid-19. But as Muslims don't like their dead being cut up to find out the cause of death, the authorities don't really know why they died. Of course, most people are scared to take their sick relatives to hospitals in the first place, due to fears of patients getting infected. 

So there are thousands of people out there who don't know they have been infected, and they are causing others to fall ill. According to a doctor, when they are told the disease is serious, they usually respond with, "If it's serious, why don't I have fever? Why am I able to walk around?" Needless to say, such people also don't comprehend why they can't take part in congregational prayers. 

According to social organizations like Edhi, hundreds of dead people have been buried in the past thirty days, most of them apparently having died of lung failure. 

One can't help being pessimistic in such circumstances. Most "good" Muslims in our apartment complex insist that nothing will happen and they will take part in "Taravih" prayers in the forthcoming holy month, despite knowing that Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries have banned it. But then, Pakistani Muslims firmly believe that they are better Muslims than those in the rest of the world.