A black hole for aid?

When mediocrity, sans democratically accepted ethics, or traditions to uphold rule of law, dominate our power corridors, then a nation is destined to suffer humiliation, economic mismanagement and loss of credibility internationally.

If such a political leadership continues to manage affairs of a state which faces both a financial crunch and poor governance, that will only further aggravate an already acute crisis. We live in a country where an elected government sworn to obey and implement rulings of judiciary openly defy orders of Supreme Court, while its investigating and prosecuting agencies paid from tax payers money, protect those criminals who are involved in crimes against people, such as Hajj scam, Ephedrine, NICL, PSM, OGDCL, EOBI, Missing Containers, NLC, CDA, Target Killings, land grabbing, extortion etc.

Even insults by US Congress declaring Pakistan as a “black hole” for aid does not seem to pressurise our parliament, media and financial regulatory bodies to seek an audit and accountability for doubling our domestic and foreign debt in past four years with deterioration in every sector including essentials such as power generation, public transportation, security, health and education.

The hype created by ruling civil, military establishment and our so-called religious political parties on the issue of transit facilities for ISAF equipment delivery to Afghanistan has exposed the incompetence and political ineptitude to handle delicate matters by those who dominate the decision making process in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

With a conviction by Supreme Court hanging over his head, the PM’s decision to proceed to UK accompanied by a large delegation of over 80 guests has exposed the moral delinquency that dominates his choice of politics.

This is a Prime Minister who has no shame, or remorse in stating in an interview that 60 Million Pakistanis should leave the country if they are dejected by their government’s incompetence and corruption. Does the Prime Minister realise that that this number is far more than total votes his party had received in 2008 elections?

It is his tarnished image that encouraged a CNN interviewer to ask him rudely to look in her eyes and reply, thereby alluding to the fact that his credibility has suffered a blow all over the world and nobody believes in what he states even publicly.

MALIK TARIQ ALI

Lahore