LAHORE – Perception changing views were presented by Dr Malik Hasan, while he gave an insight on Pak-US relation as he highlighted problems faced by both the countries. Dr Hasan looks at Pakistan as a progressive and competent nation which is wasting its energies on unimportant subjects. While discussing the mechanics of democracy Dr Hasan said that even the American democracy has flaws but the only difference is that Americans do not like making the same mistakes over and over again.
He agreed that image building measures should be taken to strengthen the relationship between the two countries. “Pakistan has many friends like Saudi Arabia, China, Turkey, etc but America has done fifty times more for Pakistan than all these countries, but Pakistan seems to look over everything,” said Hasan. He seemed disappointed over the biasness found in Pakistanis against the Americans and said that nothing but negativity is seen in the Pakistani nation against the US only because the leading class of Pakistan is ‘intellectually dishonest’.
“May be America hasn’t made its case and resisted from saying warm and cuddly words about Pakistan, but one should always measure others on the basis of their action and not by what is being said,” he added. US AIDS: Dr Hasan while citing examples said he had met former USA president Bush after the earthquake in Pakistan, where the president assured him that America was going to use all the helicopters from around the world to help Pakistanis.
“And it did happen; a record breaking mass evacuation drive was launched in which more that 65,000 people were rescued and brought back to life. Where were our other friends?” he questioned. He said that in the 60’s when Pakistan fell victim to water logging, Ayub Khan had asked Kennedy to help Pakistan and the US did help Pakistan. He said Kennedy had set up a panel consisting of experts from Harvard, MIT etc to help solve out the problems faced by Pakistanis which was funded by the US.
“I saw it with my own eyes; I happen to own land in Gujrawala, this land which was once barren became healthy and blooming with vegetables,” he said. Quoting another example, he said that once when Americans had arrested some illegal Pakistani immigrants who were driving cabs and working at hotels, Hasan and his wife visited President Bush on this issue. He said that they argued with the president that these people were working like other citizens and should be left alone.
He said the president agreed and left them alone. “Could any of your other friends do something like that?” he questioned. “Just yesterday I read in a newspaper that some illegal immigrants were caught and deported from Saudi Arabia and sent back to Pakistan. You can die there but you will never receive their citizenship. It is necessary to differentiate friends from your enemies,” he stressed.
Giving an overview on the Pakistan’s democratic and political scenario, Dr Hasan said that the local politicians did not fear accountability. He said political parties were being operated like dictators. Dr Hasan asked how a party could assure democracy to the country if the party itself was not being functioned democratically.
“The leadership of the biggest democratic party of Pakistan is transferred to a 21-year-old kid sitting in the UK only because a will stated so? This does not make sense to me at all,” exclaimed Dr Hasan.
THE MYTH OF AMERICAN INTERVENTION: He said the politicians only gave tickets to people they knew could win in specified areas. “They appoint their incompetent buddies on public severing seats and get away with it every time blaming everything on America. The myth of American intervention in Pakistan is the biggest shield that the Pakistani politicians use on both sides of the aisle only to absorb their own sins while observing a very anti-Pakistan action,” he said.
DEMOCRACY VS DICTATORSHIP: Hasan said, “Although I’m severely against military rule but the matter of the fact is that the army is the only merit based system by which a lower middle class man can rise up the hierarchy and become a leader. At least Ayub, Zia and Musharraf went through a system of merit and their seats were not transferred down to their children.”
INTELLECTUAL DISHONESTY: Answering a question on drone attacks, Dr Hasan very bluntly said that the senior leaders of Pakistan should be answerable to this question. He said they have permitted America to administer these attacks but the leaders showing ‘intellectual dishonesty’ never make this public. He said that leaders of Pakistan hide this issue so that this decision might not damage the party’s repute as the parties know that Pakistanis ‘dislike’ Americans.
Dr Hasan remained that America ‘never’ intervened in Pakistan’s matters and were always called in for help.He said that it was the ISI who asked for the Americans to help them settle the Afghan region during the Russian invasion. He said that the Americans had transferred funds to the ISI and the ISI bought arms for the Afghan fighters.
“Now you can’t point fingers at America if Pakistan is full of weaponry, it was the ISI. Or maybe what the ISI did was in the best interest of Pakistan but lay the blames where they lie,” he said. He said that the world accuses America for invading Iraq for oil purposes but not a single lease was given to any American company, he said that all the oil leases were giving to China, France etc.
OF NUKES: Dr Hasan, while sharing his views on nuclear weapons, said America is working hard to make this planet a nuclear free zone. He said that America has been successful in reducing the number of its own nuclear weapons to 2000 approximately from 8000. He said that America has asked many countries to stop there nuclear program which includes Brazil, South Africa, Canada, Japan, South Korea and India.
“Pakistan should not feel singled out. USA has a policy of not giving aid to countries which are suspected in enhancing their nuclear arsenals. Our ultimate goal is to have a nuclear free planet”, he said. He said the high ranked leaders and diplomats had lied to their teeth about the nuclear program. He said that Pakistani may have a valid reason for acquiring nuclear weapons but we Americans agree to disagree.
He said that the Americans had given Pakistan an iron cast safety where they assured Pakistan its safety but Pakistan denied it. He said, “Pakistan and India both deserve each other”.
FOR THE LOVE OF US: “Could you guess which country loves USA unconditionally? It’s Japan, although we had a nuclear war with them, but we have helped them more after that and they understand. We Americans are like boy scouts,” he said. Coming towards relationship development between both the countries Hasan said that firstly Pakistani leaders should stop lying and talk to the Americans very frankly.
He blamed the Americans for not being assertive. He said, “We Americans hate being confrontational maybe that is what is pulling both the countries back. Blunt and truthful talks should be held between both countries on television and it should be left on the discretion of the two nations and not their leaders.”
PROFILE – Dr Hasan is a Pakistani American who holds degrees from King Edward Medical College, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Physicians of London, an EMG certification from the American Association of Electromyography and Electro-diagnosis and is a Diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Dr Hasan says he has been the president and chief executive officer of Health Trio Inc, and HealthTrio LLC since March 2005, which he also co-founded in 1999. He served as the chairman of the Board of HealthTrio Inc and as the chairman of HealthTrio LLC. His vision, expertise and years of experience in the fields of medicine, managed care and health care informatics uniquely qualify him to be board chairman of Health Trio.
Previously, Dr Hasan served as the chairman of the Board of Directors and was a founder of Foundation Health Systems Inc, America’s fourth largest publicly traded managed health-care company and parent company of Qual Med Plans for Health (which he founded), Physician’s Health Services and Health Net, California’s largest network model HMO.
Foundation Health Systems (FHS) and the predecessor company, Health Systems International, which was also founded by Dr Hasan, has been a Fortune 500 Company since 1984. He led FHS through an extraordinary period of multi-state expansion while championing an industry leading initiative, termed ‘fourth generation medical management’ in developing a management information system to support FHS’s physician-driven medical management approach.
As a board-certified neurologist in Pueblo, Colorado, since June 1975, Dr Hasan maintained a limited practice until July 1992. During the 1970’s, Dr Hasan was an advanced fellow and assistant professor of neurology at Rush-Presbyterian St Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago. He served as Director of Parkview Hospital and the Colorado Medical Society, as well as a member of the Colorado Health Data Commission, having been appointed by Governor Romer. He is a Principal Owner of Monument Systems LLC.
