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View Full Version : Ant & Grasshopper: How true?



anilkc
October 27th, 2007, 02:49 AM
From Letter to Editor of a Pakistani Newspaper:


Ant and grasshopper: Pakistan version


TRADITIONAL version: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

Modern version:The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer, building its house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant’s a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

1. A local channel, BBC, ARY, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.

2. The world is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

3. Asma Jahangir stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s house.

4. Imran Khan goes on a fast along with other grasshoppers demanding that grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter.

Amnesty International and Chief Justice Iftikhar criticise the Pakistan government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper.

The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the grasshopper (many promising heaven and everlasting peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance) .

5. Opposition MPs stage a walkout. Islamic parties call for ‘hartal’ in the Frontier and Balochistan demanding a judicial inquiry.

6. The MQM coalition in Sindh immediately passes a law preventing ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among ants and grasshoppers.

Sheikh Rasheed allocates one free coach to grasshoppers on all the train aptly named as the ‘Grasshopper Shalimar’.

Finally, the president drafts an ordinance, ‘Anti-State Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act’ (ASTAGA), with effect from the beginning of the winter. Mobilises state agencies.

7. The Punjab government makes ‘special reservation’ for grasshoppers in educational institutions and in government services.

8. The ant is fined for failing to comply with ASTAGA and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, it’s home is confiscated by NAB and handed over to the grasshopper at a ceremony covered by PTV.

Nawaz Sharif calls it ‘A Triumph of Justice.’ and Benazir calls it ‘Democratic Justice’.

The MQM calls it the ‘Revolutionary Resurgence of theDowntrodden’. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz invites the grasshopper to address the National Assembly.

Many years later: The ants have since migrated to the US, Canada, the UK and the Middle East, have worked harder than they did before, set up a multi-million-dollar business.

Thousands of grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in Pakistan.

As a result of losing a lot of hard-working ants and feeding the grasshoppers, Pakistan is still a developing country!