When I was a teenager, I went on a camping trip to “Fairy Meadows”, a hilltop near Gilgit, accessible by foot only. One morning some army commander came on an inspection tour of Fairy Meadows in a helicopter and while landing, the high wind from the helicopter tore down some of our tents. Although the helicopter pilot apologised, the army commander never did. The local motel keeper had arranged a big tea party for the army commander. While having tea the commander requested all the foreign campers to join him for tea, while only offering a piece of dry cake for the Pakistani campers. Similarly, on his way back he happily allowed some foreign campers to fly with him to Gilgit, but refused the Pakistani campers.
This event has had a lasting impression on me. Westerners in Pakistan are considered to be better people than Pakistanis. This has been true since the British times. Even the government has allowed all duel citizens, people who have taken an oath of allegiance to their new countries, to work in government jobs and on important positions. Most of the parliamentarians and their families are dual citizens.
I believe that it has been ingrained in the Pakistani society to always like Westerners more than Pakistanis. That is the reason why a British citizen is leading the organisation that commits crimes openly in Karachi, while a Canadian citizen is demanding the prime minister of Pakistan to step down. And the people of Pakistan are happily watching these foreigners dictate terms and blame our government for the very issues they are creating.
I, for one, am fed up with all this and hope that this government will take a strong decision to declare all dual citizens and persons whose direct family are dual citizens from holding any important post in the government and from running for any election. This requirement should be included in the Constitution of Pakistan so that new governments cannot remove such requirements in the future.
Countries, like the USA, ensure that all government spending are done on USA made products and services. Why cannot in Pakistan we ensure that only true Pakistanis, with no allegiance to other nations, run the affairs of our nation?
SHAHRYAR KHAN BASEER
Peshawar
