The manner in which Chiles President Sebastian Pinera and his Minister for Mining were personally involved in the rescue operation of 33 miners stranded in a collapsed mine 2,050 feet below the surface in San Jose gold and copper mine for 69 days, displays the priority that their elected leadership had for the lives of their citizens.
Their story of survival and extraordinary rescue operation mounted by government of Chile captured the worlds attention. The last to emerge from the mine was the foremen of 33 miners trapped below. In the final operation which lasted over 48 hours, the President of Chile and his Minister for Mining were personally present at the scene to welcome each miner as he came out.
Compare this to the apathy of our former President Pervez Musharraf who handed over hundreds of our citizens to foreign countries for bounty money and was so proud of his shameful act that he mentioned this in his autobiography as a feat. Again, when floods ravaged Pakistan and millions were displaced and scores died, our elected President Asif Ali Zardari embarked on an extended tour of France, UK, Syria etc, without bothering to cut short this trip and be present in Pakistan.
As if this was not enough, the Prime Ministers family was busy shopping at Londons Harrod store, totally unbothered about the enormity of tragedy that had struck millions of their unfortunate citizens.
The tragedy is that those who have economically benefited the most from the opportunities provided in Pakistan have chosen to desert it when the country needed them the most. Their assets worth billions, which they made because of this country through legitimate or illegitimate means, are located abroad. This disconnect between the rulers and the ruled has been widening since the unfortunate death of our founding father Quaid e Azam and today it has become sickening and intolerable.
As a nation we need to understand that those who have no economic stakes in Pakistan, having acquired foreign residential status for themselves and their families, cannot be expected to deliver. The middle class, which is supposed to reflect the conscience of a nation, is responsible for all this as they have failed to come out and be heard.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore
