Afghan Press author: Rooh-ul-Amin

Here is news that Awami National Party’s government has decided to buy high-cost bulletproof vehicles for provincial ministers.

The news emanated amid the financial crisis abreast with the chaos by the Taliban and the military operations.

The previous day in Bajaur operation, the military forces killed more than 150 militants with 17 in Swat on Saturday. The military forces have claimed the killing of Maulavi Omer, the spokesman for Tehreek-e-Taliban Swat, among the 17, including a foreigner.

The nationality of the foreigner went turbid, as no report could explain it by now. We hear such kind of news since long but the nationality is usually not exposed, for any obvious reason.

Sunday observed a more fatal scene of violence, for it swallowed at least 28 militants in Swat. The same day in Muhmand Agency a suicide attacker blew up his pick-up when reached a security check-post, mutilating more than 10 soldiers while six others sustained injuries. The US detective aircraft missile attack claimed at least eight lives, which was targeted at the funeral prayer of Yahi khan, the brother of Baitullah Mehsud, in South Waziristan.

When the country with its masses and those who are responsible for the running of state affairs are floundering for escape out of this cyclonic swirl of violence, the decision of the provincial government seems totally incongruous and detrimental.

The government that is already groggy is begging, the world community, World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) for overcoming the economic meltdown of the country. So it will be as if to stab the country with a more sever economic recession to buy these vehicles. Why this discrimination with the masses when 183 people have been kidnapped only from Peshawar in the past 10 months. If we add those missing cases, which have not been registered with police, the figure go beyond 300.

At least 36 have so far been released either by ransom or police efforts. Police has registered 25 children abduction cases. 30-teenager girls were reported missed during the span of 10 months.

Among them no body was related to the elite class, and this is the reason it did not make headlines in press and news bulletins. It is the same Pakistan of Quaid-e-Azam, for which he put at bet all of his assets for the welfare and prosperity of Pakistan as against to his posteriors, who sapped its resources for piling up their own assets.

After that he was tilted as Quaid-e-Azam (the great leader).

Musharraf also longed for it to be called second Quaid-e-Azam in Pakistan’s history, during his interview to Spiegel paper of Israel, when he was in power. But no body dared to snub him for derogating the Quaid and the first Governor General of Pakistan, who has destined a separate homeland for us with out any army on his back.

Then how can you wish for it to be called second Quaid-e-Azam, when you had an army on your back still you slaughtered the sovereignty of the state at altar of US interests.

Once in Parliament during his lifetime, a servant asked Quaid for permission to serve the members with tea or coffee.

“They must have taken it in their homes, if not, then they can have it when they will be back homes. But I cannot allow you to serve them from state treasury which is a public property given in our trust and care”, it was the reply of the great leader.

This is called honesty, the politics of righteousness and bulwark for good-governance. Once some kind of stuff was brought for him and for his sister Fatima Jinnah from state treasury, and he reprimanded his servant that “we can pay from our pockets, so go and take the consumed amount from Fatima and deduce it from my salary”. This is the leadership, which we have been longing for. But today, the country is on the edge of knife and the present leadership is engrossed in foreign trips. Be it the president, the Prime Minister or the ANP leader Asfandyar all of them are species of the same breed. Shaukat Tareen has been crying the country is in a sever need for US $ 5.4 billion. But can they explain to the nation the amount collected from the ‘Donor’s Conference’ in billions of dollars, where and how it has been used. Though it was collected during the former government but the present one can call explanation from Mr. Musharraf.

The monetary agencies would not lent more because the world stock markets have seen a downfall of a seven-trillion-dollar loss in a single day twined with the rising cost and shortage of food globally. Then there would be no country to put its loan at stake by giving it to a country, which is already grappling with terrorism.

Nonetheless IMF has nodded its head but with a condition of raising the cost of electricity units. It will break the already feeble backbone of the poor. It will be a milestone for “no poor no poverty” adventure. This time also it offered its loan tied with a condition as was given to the former government. And the former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz accepted that with the condition of devaluation in its currency. As we have seen in past this loan would be devoured on foreign trips by the politicians with a herd of their relatives, as it is the style of this elite class. When the world community including Pakistan shook with the financial crisis India announced that today it is in the position that can donate to monetary agencies instead begging. It is sending its space shuttle on mission while Pakistan is begging for the sake of its existence.

First, politicians and then Taliban undermined the roots of this land.

The assaults by the Taliban, with the childish and naïve decision by the government have catapulted the dejection and despondency of the public.

On one hand traveling by the public transports one can get a chance to study the pallid faces of the miserable masses, with the deep wrinkles on their foreheads which shows the cruelties of the ruling class. On the other hand, loitering at night through the sprawling streets of posh hotels one can see the glowing cheeks of the elites, who come here in search of orgies, shows that as if nothing has occurred to the country at all. The political chamber in Pakistan is the most non-productive, which has been plundering the resources of the country and in return it has given nothing to the nation but poverty and afflictions.

It is the misfortune of the Pakistanis that after Quaid-e-Azam, this land could not produce a single political figure for which this land can boast.

After him no politician plunged into the political arena with the fervor of service but avarice. Had this land been produced politicians like Quaid-e-Azam, then today we must have not seen at least this catastrophic series of violence, economic swirl, anarchy and elitism at the cost of illiteracy and poverty. Today, Pakistan of Allama Iqbal, who gave the message of self-ego and Shaheen (eagle), which is an emblem of independence, is under the swarm of vultures—the politicians and dictators.

The writer is a FATA-based, freelance journalist.