Edifier

“Compensation is the keynote of the universe. Nature is constantly seeking to strike equilibrium. Where something is sent out something must be received. Our greatest success will be achieved by first the recognition of the fact that it is just as essential to give as to receive.” -Charles Haanel, author of the Master Key System of Success


Although the above quoted statement is only a metaphor used to explain mathematical equilibrium in population ecology, but given a certain thought, these words do not fail to elucidate the situation our country is facing at the moment. The recent flash floods submerged a fifth of our country killing around 1600 people and displacing an astounding 20million people according to recent statistics.

The floods which were a result of heavy monsoon rainfall has washed away millions of hectares of crops, submerged villages and destroyed bridges and roads in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan-administered Kashmir region, Eastern Punjab and finally made its way towards Sindh.

UN estimated that the total number of people affected by these floods exceeded the total number affected by the 2004 tsunami, 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the Haiti earthquake combined. UN secretary Ban Ki-moon was shocked to see the devastation caused by the floods and urged international donors to provide aid generously and speed up assistance.


But despite these appeals by the UN secretary, the international response to the flood situation has been sluggish and penny-pinching. It’s been more than 3 weeks since the disaster stuck and the total aid pledged by governments round the world has been around $325million.Thats’s not even half of what was provided to Haiti within 10 days of the disaster!

Haiti is a mere island with a tiny airport which could handle limited cargo planes at a time, yet there was substantial inflow of aid and remittances. All our international airports were operating and so is our seaport and still there is no aid. So I begin to wonder, what were the possible reasons for this lack of international support?

And I got my answer soon enough from none other but our president Mr.Zardari whose statement quoted “Islamist terrorists may exploit the chaos and misery caused by the floods in Pakistan to gain new recruits. There is a possibility that the negative forces would exploit the situation”. These words echoed the alibi’s of all those international donors who were hesitant in providing aid for Pakistan.

Let alone the international elements, even our own nation thought thrice before donating something as every other was of the thought that anything they donated would not be provided for and would vanish in the Bermuda triangle of the corrupt Government of Pakistan. Relief camps placed besides roads present a deserted look with the banners hovering in the air and one thinks, they could’ve at least donated the money they spent on placing these camps.
Our foreign minister Mr.Shah Mahmood Qureshi was addressing a group of Pakistani expatriates in the US. His statement was “Please donate generously. If you do not trust the government and are not willing to give to the government, find organizations which you think are trustworthy and give your donations to them”. Now what could be more shameful for the government and the minister himself who publicly accepted the government to be corrupt?

As far as the militants are concerned,among the charities helping flood victims is the Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation, the charitable wing of Jammat-du-Dawa blamed for carrying out the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India. Its chairman, Hafiz Abdul Rauf said that its 43 camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and southern Punjab "serve two hot meals a day to some 45,000 people in all three provinces”. So if this is the real scenario, I would gladly want my money to go to these groups who are caretakers of the victims in these harsh times.

But the fact of the matter is that the money actually does not go to the militants. And if you think it goes to the people affected, then unfortunately you are wrong again. So one begins to think, where does it all go? And the million dollar answer to this million dollar question is that it does not go anywhere. Not the militants, not the victims but the money goes straight in the kitties of all those corrupt government officials. In fact half of the resources travel half way round the world, right into the fixed deposits of Swiss banks. Auctioning suits and ties won’t do Mr.Gilani. It’s times you auctioned yourself along with your priceless puppets such as Mr.Rehman Malik. I’m sure every citizen would be willing to pay hefty amounts to buy you out of the government. In fact it would also resolve the issue of the shortage of donations required.

Nature strikes equilibrium. Rings a bell doesn’t it? Why is it that our country has faced two major natural disasters in a span of 5 years? Why is it that the almighty chose us? Why is it that all those high flyers are enjoying while the masses are facing the burden? Is it only our government or is it us as a nation that is at flaw. Have we been so alienated amongst ourselves that we are not willing to help our own nation!

It is only a matter of time before God forbid another disaster strikes us again. We have stuck ourselves in a pit so deep, that only a miracle can save us. Our fragile economy already has cracks on it and it’s only a matter of time before it shatters completely. We need to get our priorities straight. Be functional not vocal. ‘Revolution’ ladies and gentlemen is not a fairytale word. Our history and geography is not different than all those other success stories in the world. Happened in Iran, why not Pakistan. We are a developing nuclear state. Only the word nuclear has given anti-Pakistan elements nightmares since the past 12 years.

It’s time to act wise. Take a peek inside yourself. Are you fit enough to criticize others? Mend yourself before asking others to mend themselves. It’s never too late.