An Update

The Pakistanis just got to know the government had been warned about the earth quake… some 3-4 years ago. And nothing was done to at least insure quick help in case of emergencies! It has been almost a week and the roads have as yet not been cleared. People from the villages can not come to cities and vice versa. We need to walk an entire day to reach the biggest village… and the one with a huge population. The rest are even farther!
80% of the tax payers’ money goes to the army. Now you’d think they would have the required machines in case of emergencies… they might, you know, if it wasn’t for the huge luxurious houses equipped with cars, servants, club memberships and blah blah that they get. Now when I think of how I need to stick to my budget and how I sigh and fret to live within the budget and our income and then I think of how the tax gets deducted from our income before it reaches us every month and how that tax is used, it really makes my blood boil.
Just last year my dear old Prime Minister ordered 11 cars from abroad… with cost more than 100 million. This for the transport purposes of these high profile personalities. Now a good, luxurious car in Pakistan cost no more than twentieth of what it cost the prime minister. But, well, who cares? It’s the tax payers’ money! The night I heard that I saw a couple of people sleeping under street lights with torn clothes and who looked as if they hadn’t a decent meal in ages. Of course at that time the prime minister probably knew about the earth quake chances.
We, the citizens, are helping ourselves. Not many trust the govt enough to contribute to eh President Relief Fund. People are privately collecting goods and medicines and sending them to the afflicted areas. My dad is collecting donations and buying water proof tents and blankets so that those people at least have a roof on their heads until they rebuild their houses. This, of course, should’ve been already done by the govt but….!!
And to think we did not even elect Musharraf!
I’m sorry this has gone all political but its reality.
No one I’ve talked to believes that the international help will go to the ones it’s sent for! Not most of it any way…and I think they can’t be that heartless…surely not! But then, they were warned before the disaster struck…. And they still got themselves 11 cars rather than use the tax peyers’ money to make sure they were properly equipped to deal with a situation such as this.
Lucky for the afflicted ones, the Pakistanis are not as bad as their govt. Everyone is donating so much and more. People are giving things, medicines, cash like crazy… helping their brothers in need. My heart soared when I heard about how much people have privately collected. Just a day or so ago an acquaintance went to donate some stuff and the queue was so long it took her two and a half hours! And this when the donations are supposed to have slowed!!!