*Anything can happen here!*
Once, one of our assistants traveled by bus from Bahawalpur to Lahore at night. This was a time when the motorway had not been built, and ordinary buses used to travel, stopping at various places. He took courage and took the seat behind the driver so that the journey would be relatively safe and comfortable.
When the bus left Bahawalpur and reached near Lodhran, a person standing by the roadside signaled, with a donkey beside him. He told the conductor that he had to go to Lahore and take the donkey with him. The conductor readily agreed. The donkey's legs were tied, it was lifted onto the roof of the bus and tied securely with ropes. The owner came inside the bus and went to sleep in the back seats.
At about three o'clock at night, the bus stopped near Chichawatni, some passengers got off the bus, and their luggage was unloaded from the roof. During this time, the cleaner found out that the donkey that was tied on the roof was missing. Presumably, it had fallen somewhere during the journey. He panicked and informed the driver. The driver calmly asked if the owner knew. The reply was that he was sleeping peacefully in the back seat. The driver said not to worry, they would find a solution to this too.
A few miles ahead, another donkey was seen standing by the roadside. The driver immediately signaled the cleaner to catch it and tie it to the roof. So, it was done, and a new donkey was tied to the roof of the bus. Since our assistant was sitting behind the driver, he heard the whole conversation and saw the whole scene with his own eyes.
At five, five-thirty in the morning, when the bus reached Lahore, it was already light. The assistant, out of curiosity, got down to see if the owner recognized his donkey or not. He saw the owner standing in front of the donkey, looking at it in surprise. The assistant asked what was the matter? He replied: I am not surprised to see the donkey, I am surprised that the male donkey I put on the roof of the bus from Lodhran, how did it become a female donkey when it reached Lahore?
When I told this incident to some of my friends abroad, they burst out laughing and said that anything can be expected in this country, whether it is elections or politics, everything changes overnight.
There are some very interesting and noteworthy aspects to this incident:
1- Low-level administrative mentality.
Instead of solving the problem, change the matter itself. That is, instead of accepting reality, present an "alternate reality."
2- Satisfaction in ignorance.
The owner is sleeping unaware, and the staff is "solving the problem." This is also a glimpse of our collective mood.
3- The last sentence is deeply sarcastic.
"I am not surprised by the donkey, but by how the male donkey became a female donkey."
This sentence is a symbol that sometimes things change their very nature here!
I think the real beauty of this story is that "anything can happen in Pakistan" because convenience, temporary solutions, and ignoring the truth have become our habit...
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