Pakistan’s monumental anger and despair is partly captured in this scathing criticism of the the government in Islamabad. Columnist Sajida Khan Niazi of Pakistan’s Daily Mail writes that even if the flood disaster is the worst in the nation’s history, Pakistanis should forgive other nations that withhold life-saving aid, because the government is so corrupt that no right-thinking nation can trust it.
For The Daily Mail, columnist Sajida Khan Niazi writes in part:
Our stonehearted government has failed. An estimated 4 million people have been rendered homeless, and 8 million dependent on aid for their very survival. While our nation was undergoing this incredible natural disaster and its people sobbed and pleaded for help, our president was on a European joyride. Ignoring the thousands of his own people desperate for even a morsel of bread, he spent millions from the national kitty to stay in expensive hotels.
He toured France and visited his luxurious home there, while his miserable and depressed nation mourned for their homes, submerged by flooding. Then he visited England under the pretext that he needed to negotiate with Cameron about the British leader’s statement in India. But a pretext is all it was. … Yet when he was done in Britain, our president felt the need for more amusement. This time he chose to visit Russia, where he took part in the Sochi summit.
People prefer suicide to such misery.
During the flood, our corrupt government had a chance to redeem itself, but instead it proved that they’ve learned nothing from the past. Our leaders ask for aid, but donors are reluctant, because both here and abroad, donors don’t trust our corrupt leaders. There was a time when [Prime Minister] Nawaz Sharif told the nation that he wanted to repay the foreign debt, so the people had to help. At the time, people trusted their leaders. Ladies even gave up their gold jewelry. But our leaders know only too well how to deceive and play with the emotions of the innocent. Now the nation doesn’t trust them.
In this critical hour, even the U.S. has criticized us. Richard Holbrooke taunted the nation, chiding Pakistan that it always prefers China and Iran – and asking where they are. While China has always supported Pakistan in complicated situations, especially war, it is not now one of the leading donors to flood victims. [Referring to China, Holbrooke is quoted as saying, “Where is Pakistan’s all-weather friend?”]
Because of the nature of our government, we shouldn’t criticize states that don’t provide us with assistance. International donors cannot trust corrupt leaders, and our current government has a record of violating promises in every regard. Our leaders have lost the trust, not only of their own nation, but that of the international community.
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