August 7, 2010

What Did We Do to Deserve This?

D for Donate, but to whom? That is a big problem here. There are roadside camps on, for example Wahdat Road in Lahore, which I know as a fact are only their to swell the pockets of the organizers. As usual, the people unaware of who to trust and who not to are donating with whatever they can. On the other hand it is business as usual in other parts of the country (the not affected). Star Plus blazes on non stop, people vacation in foreign lands (excluding Zardari who is on a "official" trip), Dawn News is more interested in showing Javed Sahib, the Indian composer, Karachi remains closed where "less" people died today than yesterday and I can go on and on and on.

But what do I write? That a woman committed suicide after giving poison to her 3 kids because they couldn't stay hungry any longer? Or that a train went over 4 women and 2 kids killing them on the spot? Or maybe that the lawyers were once again busy agitating over God knows what agenda at the expense of those people who wilt under the open skies everyday trying to seek justice? Or that there are 15 million heart wrenching stories to be heard in Pakistan today?

As usual, Mr Junior Zardari is all smiles and flashy teeth for the cameras in the UK where he opened a donation point. What exactly is a donation point anyway? And why does one need to inaugurate it? And as usual, the idiotic personnel of the PPP present lameass excuses for the simply outrageous activities of their leaders. But coming back to Junior Zardari, this is what he had to say:
If he (Asif Zardari) thought he could be more useful in Pakistan, I'm sure he would be there. 
By that logic Mr Zardari ought to stay away from Pakistan at all times, because let's face it; he's never going to be useful for Pakistan. I took my Uncle who's come from the UK to a relative's house, and I must admit that I was literally ashamed at what he had to see. The traffic mess on the roads, the rudeness, the poverty, the slumps and the naked people just sitting on the roads with gaunt faces waiting to be heard, and waiting to tell their stories. What must my Uncle have thought at the state of my country? There are so many crises at hand it actually seems surreal to imagine that the government can cope with them. The impressions that they are making certainly seem to reinforce my point of view.

While Mr Zardari poses for the cameras with his "bateesi" showing for all to see, one person is being displaced, dying, starving, crying, hurting every minute back in Pakistan (I was about to write home, but then I figured: What does home mean to Zardari? Not Pakistan). People are so disillusioned that they aren't even waiting for the government or the army to come to their aid. They're just doing everything that they possibly can themselves. In Kot Addu, people repaired a bridge by using stones and sticks only to see it being swept away. But then they just started rebuilding it again. These are real Pakistanis, demonstrating the Pakistani spirit.

Since our politicians will never be mature enough to understand the subtleties of calamities and miseries, the political enigmas have been exposed from head to toe. Salman Taseer couldn't shut his I-told-you-so face when he said Kalabagh dam is the need of the hour. No sir, it is not the need of the hour. The need of the hour is for you to shut up and mind your own goddam business which is worth millions of dollars. And this reminds me, if these people (Zardari, Sharif, Qureshi, Gilani, Taseer etc) were to donate just 0.05% of their wealth to the relief activities, this country would be in a much better state. But alas, no one really cares about the non-people. Nawaz Sharif continues to go on photo-op sessions with nice backgrounds being found in the flood devastated areas and the ghosts of human flesh acting as A-Class props. Yusuf Raza Gilani is way to busy in electioneering to pay any real attention to the catastrophe at hand. Zardari is busy trying to show his teeth to the world media and gloating about how the PPP trumped the PML-N in the recent by-polls. The Punjabi MPAs turn out to be the most selfish among all by refusing to donate a one-month salary to the CM's relief camp.

You deserve this Mr President. (Source: Dawn.com)
So there you have it. One Pakistani's tirade and rant at the outrageous situation in his beloved country. What did we do to deserve this? What did those poor people do to deserve this? What did we do to have Zardari gloat at us from the UK? What did we do? Rumors are abound that some person threw two shoes at Zardari. If that is true then I, as a Pakistani salute whoever you brave sir are, and I want to let you know that you have given a tiny sense of adulation to the 15 million lives tormented and ravaged by the floods.

There is so much more to say and so much more to share. But how do I go on? I just don't have any words. I have no words. 

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