Tariq Qureshi, Las Vegas, USA
Here I would like to recount what I saw during my latest trip to Pakistan.
I returned from Pakistan on 12th March after 29 days stay. Honestly our public really doesn’t give 2 hoots about Corona, and like most nations public is devoid of self-discipline and we really expect the government to handhold us. Isn’t it too much to expect from government which is as clueless as it was 70 years ago?
Consciousness is surely there, but self precaution is zero in all income brackets (that includes me and my family). This is evident from our daily conduct such as throwing garbage in bags in dumps but not stopping to plastic bag collectors from emptying the bag. Yes, our savior has been our exceptionally strong immune systems because since birth we are facing known and unknown viruses with our beliefs in unknown.
Yes, our one PM cannot collect nation’s garbage as the responsibilities of local bodies have also become politicized at public health risk. As they say the entire system collapsed not in last 24 months, but has been in decline for decades. But instead of swinging our arrows at the corrupt elite we sided with them calling it political awakening, and democracy!!!! Hahaha is all I can say!
Now about the economy- yes Pakistan’s 70% economy is undocumented, government is six times larger throughout Pakistan than it should be, and bureaucracy and it’s abuse of untouchable the 1973 constitution is drifting the nation to hell ! The political and (cvili-military) bureaucracy mafias are far too strong to be touched by our version of democracy.
By the way, 18th amendment giving responsibility of education, healthcare, public security, infrastructure development and collection of local taxes to the provinces has increased corruption by 10 times in last 10 years……so it’s time to stop beating drums of democracy and be realistic.
Corona emergency is worldwide and every government in the world has failed miserably. Today USA is releasing $1 trillion funds to support the country, but we also know what is coming next. Here , Las Vegas, the biggest contributor (entertainment industry and casino’s) to the economy has been forced to shut down sending a million people to seek unemployment. Auto industry is shutting down and its supply chain losses are expected to be many trillions.
The world will go through a economic reset and so would Pakistan…….
UN and every financial financial institution from WB to IMF everyone who brought the other world to its knees will have to reset. Imagine if the defaulters in the world cannot pay, what options do the lenders have?
It is time to regroup your thoughts in everything to recreate the nation for 2020 and the future. The nation has all the talent and resources.
God bless you and the future generations of Pakistan.
