President Asif Ali Zardari is scheduled to visit India coming weekend. It’s a private visit wherein he will be travelling to Ajmer to pay homage at the 13th century Sufi saint, Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti’ shrine. As per the expected official announcement, president will pray for stability and progress in his home country – Pakistan.
Let’s disregard the official announcement for a moment and ponder what else he could be praying for? To complete the 5th year in government while expecting no adverse decisions from the Supreme Court on the ongoing cases – NRO, memo scandal, OBL probe etc or by somehow if the government is dismissed that shall increase the rating (sympathy votes) in the next elections, US may find another route for the NATO supplies or they agree on a better compensation for supply routes and those killed in drone attacks, more rains to fill the dams basins to increase the hydro power generation or may be less rains to avoid floods in South Punjab and Sindh.
Or Karachi’s law and order situation moves towards betterment or at least the extortion tactics used by Taliban shall set a bench mark for other groups in Karachi, a way to control ever increasing prices of oil, gas and water with eve r declining availability of the same or make the general public content to be ready to live in 19th century, how to avoid daily noise and chattering about newly discovered corruption cases either by shutting down the newspapers and private TV channels or just denial at government TV channel may be sufficient, how to keep the friends from the jail time, be happy and content with whatever they are making with the taxpayers’ money, how to keep State Bank to keep its mouth shut on ever increasing local and foreign debt/loans, how to keep opposition in their holes on the fear of khakis taking over if ever this government is dismissed, the list goes on.
I don’t know why the president needs to travel to India; all these issues can be solved within the country; the thing we lack in Pakistan is a sincere, credible, respectable and honest leadership.
MASOOD KHAN
Jubail, Saudi Arabia
