generalspeaking

Struggling Relief

Pakistan considers itself an important country. Only important countries, after all, have achieved nuclear status. The millions of indigent Pakistanis who cannot rely on their government to support their needs are just a trifling inconvenience. The country's government and its national army and its secret intelligence service has focused attention since the birth of the country on India, and its searing hatred for that democratic, nuclear-possessing country.

Pakistan's treasury was used to create a nuclear laboratory and its nuclear scientists succeeded, funded by a government that could not afford to distract itself by giving attention to the needs of its people. Funding was directed toward training and arming large contingents of the fanatical faithful graduating from Saudi-funded madrassas, for the country was dedicated to wresting Kashmir from India's geography.

Jealous of India's influence in Afghanistan, when Pakistan felt it had the right to influence Afghanistan and did so, by releasing the Taliban to wreak their will on the Afghans, Pakistan, while claiming to be supportive of the American war on terrorist jihad, continued to fund and to train and to support terrorism. All of this is rather costly, but the U.S., half-convinced it could trust Pakistan, generously sent billions to the country as a good-faith demonstration.

When natural disasters strike Pakistan and the international community responds, it is later discovered that funds meant to assist the country to rescue their people from desperate conditions, has been funnelled for use elsewhere, at the government's discretion; at least those portions of the aid funding that haven't found their way into corrupt bank accounts. Humanitarian aid groups have been ensconced in Pakistan since 1948, attempting to improve the lives of poor children.

Yet Pakistan has always, and continues to, direct its attention and its finances toward attacks on India, encouraging fanatics to attack cities in India and in Kashmir. The ISI's notorious involvement with the Taliban and al-Qaeda is no well-kept secret, nor has the government been exempt from responsibility in that regard, yet the international community is flagellated for not responding as generously to the current plight as anticipated.

Ban Ki-moon moans "this has been a heart-wrenching day for me", after touring the inundated provinces, with Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, whose father-in-law, the founder of the Pakistan People's Party, promising, pre-election, that his first order of business would be to help Pakistan's poor, instead, once elected, became the father of its nuclear industry. And people in Pakistan continued to live under economic, social, political duress.

As long as international donors, the World Bank and humanitarian organizations continue to fund the country and to do the selfless humanitarian work that the government itself should be engaged in, Pakistan itself will never evolve as a responsible democracy, viewing its role as a bulwark for its people, building itself toward a respectable, honourable and trustworthy nation.

Labels: Pakistan, Peace, Political Realities, Poverty

posted by Pieface @ Tuesday, August 17, 2010