New Pakistan - Blogs

You Say You Want A Revolution

2010-09-04T23:36:00Z

"Revolution" seems to have re-entered the public debate lately. But recent events once again raise the question - who is the "public" in this debate?

"Revolution" seems to have re-entered the public debate lately. But recent events once again raise the question - who is the "public" in this debate?

Last year it was "the Bangladesh option" that was on the tongues of all of the chattering class. Lately, Altaf Bhai's talk about "patriotic generals" and the French revolution has re-inspired the dreams of the talking heads. But these people exist in climate controlled studios and expansive flats with all the modern conveniences. In a nation of 160 Million people with a Gross National Income per captia of under Rs.85,000 (US $1,000) and a literacy rate of about 55 percent - what do the common people think?

In a way, it's hard to know what the common people think because usually nobody cares to ask them. Sure, there are a lot of people who claim to speak for the masses, but when was the last time Shahid Masood had a hawker or a farmer or someone's driver on his show to discuss their "Views on the News"?

The only time the common people are asked what they think is when they are asked to select the person they want to represent their interests and opinions in the assemblies. So if we want to find the best measurement of the popular opinion, we should't be looking to the media elites talking "live from satellite", we should be looking at who people are actually voting for.

Judging by the results of yesterday's by-poll in NA-184, the people are not clamoring for a revolution.

Khadija Waran, wife of Amir Yar Waran and candidate of Pakistan People’s Party has won by-elections in Bahawalpur’s constituency NA-184, according to unofficial results.

The unofficial results disclosed that Khadija Waran bagged 75507 votes and leading by 27362 votes. Her closest rival was Pakistan Muslim League-N’s Najeebuddin Awaisi with 48,145 votes.

Polling for by-elections in NA-184 was held today from 8 AM to 5 PM without any interruption. Reports of minor clashes were received from different parts of the constituency during the vote.

So, despite the chattering classes predictions of the demise of PPP, it seems that ruling party has at least one constituency that still supports it - the voters.

But what's even more telling about this recent by-poll election is that it not only undermines the claims that the people want (or need) a "revolution" or that the PPP has overplayed its hand is unpopular with the masses. It also exposes the media elites for being completely out of touch with the people about what issues matter most.

For months now we've been hearing all manner of funeral speeches for the government because a handful of people had "fake degrees". This was an issue that was created and cared for only by the media - and even some of those darlings were unimpressed.

But the NA-184 by-poll proves that outside of the comfort of Geo's studios, nobody really cares. The newly elected MNA, Khadija Waran, is wife of Amir Yar Waran - the outgoing MNA - who had a degree declared fake. If the people really thought fake degrees was important and that PPP was discredited, wouldn't they have voted for someone else? Certainly so.

But the voters did no such thing. Rather, they spoke clearly with their ballots: We don't care about fake degrees issue. We don't want "revolution". We want the government to be given the opportunity to work.

Salman Tarik Kureshi makes a perfect point yesterday:

For a nation like Pakistan, with no monarchs to behead and an already extant constitutional democracy to run, the concept of revolution is irrelevant. We would only add a few million more violent deaths to the numbers already generated by the Partition massacres, the East Pakistan civil war, the military actions against the rebels in Balochistan and the MRD (Movement for Restoration of Democracy) movement in Sindh, the sectarian killings in Punjab, the ethnic killings in Karachi, the continuing terrorist atrocities and so on and so forth.

We are fortunate to have already established an independent republic, a democratic system, popular sovereignty and a constitution. It is these we need to cherish and nurture.

The decision to change the government lies not with carefully coiffed media talking heads and wannabe revolutionaries. The decision lies with the people only. If they want a revolution, they will make it at the ballot box. Judging by the actual votes of the people, they're not interested.

The Secular Threat

2010-09-02T05:19:00Z

When anti-Shia religious extremists kill people in the streets, why does it seem like everyone is afraid of secularism these days? From the Chief Justice to Syed Munawar Hassan, it seems that "secularism" has become the latest fad in bogeys. But what's so scary about secularism?

To discover just how terrible secularism is, let us look at the example of two opposing approaches to hijab in France and Bangladesh.

The French parliament's decision to ban public wearing of hijab is often incorrectly viewed as a law promoting "secularization". This is quite incorrect. Actually, by prohibiting women from wearing hijab, the French are imposing a particular practice.

The Iranian government of Reza Shah made the same mistake in the 1940s when it was declared that women were to discard their veils on order of the state. This was not secularism, but a misguided attempt to counter radicalism. What was the result? The Shah swung the pendulum too far against religion, and the pendulum swung too far the other way in reaction.

But secularism does not mean "no religion". It doesn't mean "no hijab". The UK has a national religion - the Christian "Church of England" - but it maintains a secular approach to religion in law and society. Anyone who has spent even a few short minutes wandering the streets of Tower Hamlets in London can tell you that there is no trouble finding any Qurans or hijabs or Mullahs who will be happy to talk to you for hours.

Compare this to Iqbal's Allahabad address of December 1930, as referenced by IA Rehman today in Dawn:

In the last week of December 1930, Iqbal gave his Allahabad address. He declared that “Islam, regarded as an ethical ideal plus a certain kind of polity — by which expression I mean a social structure regulated by a legal system and animated by a specific ethical ideal — has been the chief formative factor in the life-history of the Muslims of India.” Then he added: “Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that India is perhaps the only country in the world where Islam, as a people-building force, has worked at its best.” Since no Islamic theocracy was ever established by the Muslims in India, Iqbal could only be extolling their secular traditions.

Similarly, Education Ministry of Bangladesh last week circulated direction to authorities that no female students are to be forced to wear veils or any other religious attires. Do you see the difference, because it is an important one. Young girls and their families still have the freedom to wear veils if this is their choice. But if a girl's mother-father does not think she needs to wear a veil, she is not forced by someone outside her home. This actually respects religion and culture. It allows people to practice freely, and does not discriminate or reduce religion to some command of the state.

Anti-secularist lobby is simply making the same mistake as the Shah of Iran and the Parliament of France. They are trying to take the place of mother-father in the family relationship as a reaction to political frustrations.

IA Rehman is correct:

While the common people of Pakistan have no reason to share the ashrafiya’s fears of secularism they have every reason to dread the anti-secularism lobby. The “principal institutions of a secular society” listed by Altaf Gauhar are: the elected legislature, the judiciary, and the press”. (Battle of Ideas)

It is quite clear that all these institutions have to bear with one another. The Supreme Court can never sack parliament or the media, nor will parliament ever be foolish or strong enough to abolish the Supreme Court or the media. But the extremist militants that are being reared by anti-secular elements, if they ever capture the state, will almost surely pack off parliament, the Supreme Court and the media into oblivion. The choice before the people of Pakistan has never been clearer.

The anti-secular lobby is not advocating religion, it is advocating tyranny. The antidote? Secularism.

Judicial Spot Fixing?

2010-09-01T16:49:00Z

This business of the Supreme Court taking it upon themselves to overrule the people's elected representatives in parliament is really getting ridiculous. Now, having failed to fix the match, the Supreme Court appears to be trying a little spot-fixing of its own.

The Supreme Court (SC) has extended the tenure of 32 additional judges working in the high courts of the four provinces till further orders. The eleventh hour decision has been taken to overcome the situation created by a legal void due to delay in implementation of Article 175-A, which lays down the procedure for appointment of judges to the superior courts. Although the order for such an extension was critical for the effective functioning of the high courts, particularly the Balochistan High Court, whose all four judges’ one-year term was about to expire on September 5, some quarters have questioned the appropriateness of the SC, instead of parliament, issuing such an order. The SC took this decision in response to letters from the chief justices of the four high courts requesting resolution of the issue of judges’ appointments.

This time, the Chief Justice has stepped over the line. This business should be declared a no ball and the court should move on to important issues. As I am writing this, Lahore is under the control of Rangers, and there are hundreds either dead or injured following a vicious attack by Lashkar-e-Janghvi against a procession of Muslims. Oh, that's right - they are Shias. It's important to remember that you can be the wrong kind of Muslim in this country.

Still, the courts continue to ignore terrorists like Malik Ishaq and the men like Rana Sanaullah and Shahbaz Sharif who inexplicably continue to make their crimes possible.

Malik Ishaq of the LeJ is accused of carrying out hundreds of murders but was not convicted because of lacunas in the legal system and the police’s inability to collect evidence or run a sound witness protection programme. Resultantly, he is being kept in jail under the Maintenance of Public Order act; there is no other substantive case against him. Let us also not forget that there are many in the lower judiciary who are sympathetic towards the jihadi mindset. Not surprisingly, Malik Ishaq was apparently allowed to cross-examine prosecution witnesses inside jail even in cases not related to him. The police official who tried to stop this practice was later murdered.

Shahbaz Sharif is responsible for agreeing to keep silent on the jihadi ‘assets’. According to one source in the government, there was an understanding that he would take care of these elements, especially while the military was busy in the tribal areas. Therefore, the Punjab chief minister and his loyal law minister, Rana Sanaullah, deflected attention away from Punjab. There were even occasions when senior police officers covered up the jihadis’ tracks and maligned those that warned about such threats.

The constitution is quite clear about the appropriate body for making changes - the parliament. This may be a thorn in the side of the Chief Justice, but we live in Pakistan, not Iftikharistan. He should let the parliament do its job and he do his own job also.

It's a problem we've highlighted before: Terrorists getting more legal rights than honest citizens. How many more people have to die before the Chief Justice stops spot-fixing and starts throwing these bloody terrorists out!

Pakistan Does Not Need a Revolution

2010-08-31T16:35:00Z

by K. Ashraf

Pakistan does not need a revolution. What Pakistan needs is Democratic Socialism.

The magic phrase about any successful system is: Confidence. The confidence in a system comes from equitability, justice and sustainability. Rest of it is just detail, the details of the system, the way the implementers of the system implement it.

Every Tom, Harry, Dick is calling for a revolution in Pakistan. Some condors of the current system are even calling for a bloody revolution which kills hundreds of thousands of people. The others are asking people to take over everything they can get their hands on.

The first kind of revolution is being propagated by Mian Shahbaz Sharif of PML N the other kind of revolution is being propagated by Mr. Altaf Hussain. One can imagine what kind of revolution it will be if it is led by either of them.

First, a revolution needs a revolutionary party and leadership to bring revolution in a country. Pakistan does not have both. Therefore, there is a remote possibility that revolution will ever take place in Pakistan.

The elk of people who are talking about revolution in their dreams are far off from the social, cultural, and political realities of Pakistan. They even do not understand the nature of the current economic system in the country. However, what they talk about in their sleeps is nothing but the symptoms of the economic disaster the country is facing.

For example, the corruption which everyone from TV show hosts, commentators, analysts and some of the politicians talk about is not the disease in itself. It is a symptom of a larger economic problem. Similarly, poverty is not a disease in itself, but it is a symptom of a larger economic problem. Growing violence in the society is not a disease in itself, but it is a symptom of a larger economic problem. Same is the case with other challenges Pakistani society is facing for a while now.

The bottom line of all these problems is a larger economic problem. What is that larger economic problem?

The current economic system does not enjoy the confidence of the people who live under this system. Anyone who thinks, the ruling elite have confidence in this system, he is sure seriously mistaken.

Today, Pakistan’s ruling elite is the most corrupt in the whole world. Why is it so? It is so because they do not have the confidence in the system. If they had confidence in Pakistan’s economic system they won’t commit corruption and stash away money and put in foreign bank accounts. They do it because they know this system can collapse anytime and they can lose every thing they have.

Poverty is growing at exponential rate in Pakistan. With natural calamities the growth rate of poverty has sharpened to dangerous levels. Sixty, seventy percent Pakistanis are living in red economic zones. From the red economic zone, I mean, the worst possible economic conditions.

Revolution is not the answer. Revolution is not the answer, because there are no revolutionaries in Pakistan. Those who would lead revolution in the name of revolution would not be any different than the current breed of rulers we have in Pakistan. They will be rather worse as they won’t have any clear vision of a workable system for Pakistani society.

Here we will not talk about the Soviet, Chinese or Cuban revolutions. They have had their own social, cultural, political and economic problems. Pakistanis do not need to go through all that to create a credible social, cultural, political and economic system.

What Pakistan needs is Democratic Socialism. From Democratic Socialism, I mean a system which brings required changes in Pakistan’s social, cultural, political and economic systems through concerted social, cultural, political and economic activism.

Pakistan needs to lead itself at fast pace to reform its social, cultural, political and economic systems to build confidence, widespread justice, create equitability and sustainability in the system for every citizen of Pakistan.

Is it doable? Yes, it is doable and achievable? Who will do it? The current leadership, I doubt they have the ability or they understand the nitty-gritty of what Pakistan needs.

Altaf Bhai's Convenient Conscience

2010-08-30T20:40:00Z

Ayaz Amir hits the nail on the head last week in his column for The News, "Fresh takes on patriotism". Amir is annoyed with MQM chief Altaf's recent outbursts about martial law, of course, and flays them with the sharp wit that he has come to be known for, taking no mercy on Altaf's own political opportunism and turning a blind eye to corruption when it served his own purposes.

Among the chattering classes--mercifully, irrelevant politically--there have been voices calling for regime change. But the drumbeat sounded by Altaf Bhai is the loudest and most unambiguous clarion call for Pakistan's fifth military coup. MQM spokesmen, masters of the shrill and loud word and who have little to learn from Goebbels, are bending over backwards trying to explain what Altaf Bhai meant. But the meaning is clear. Wading in where others would have feared to enter, he has raised the first welcoming flag for the army to march into the political arena, all in the name of patriotism.

I can't help but think of the phony patriotism of the New Feudals so prevalent in the media. Or the self-appointed patriots like Ahmed Quraishi and Zaid Hamid, always declaring themselves the real sons of the nation from the comfort of their climate controlled studios and European suits, never getting their hands dirty with people who actual struggle in this country.

There's a common thread, isn't there, with Ahmed Quraishi's groveling before Musharraf and Altaf Hussain's being doing his master's bidding in trying to keep Iftikhar Chaudhry off the bench, only to turn their backs on their master when they thought his time was up?

When Musharraf was a senior staff officer in General Headquarters, the then army chief, Gen Waheed Kakar, used to call him "my MQM general", because of his perceived sympathies in that direction. Musharraf lived up to this description when soon after his coup he cracked down on Altaf Bhai's nemesis, Afaq Ahmed and his MQM-Haqiqi, and virtually handed over the keys of Karachi to Altaf Hussain.

Altaf Bhai repaid the favour by becoming Musharraf's staunchest ally. For Musharraf's principal adviser, Tariq Aziz, MQM headquarters in London used to be a regular port of call. May 12, 2007, when the MQM, at Musharraf's behest paralysed Karachi, setting off an upsurge of violence which left scores killed and injured, just to prevent Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry from touring the city, was a telling sign of the nexus between Musharraf and the MQM.

But May 12 was a disaster all the same, doing nothing to improve the MQM's image in the rest of the country. Instead the impression was further reinforced that the politics of violence was an integral part of the party's ethos.

But when Musharraf's time was up the MQM quickly adjusted its sights and positioned itself for the new turn of events. Becoming a coalition partner of the PPP's, it not only held on to its position as a key player in Sindh and at the centre but pushed constantly to acquire more advantage and expand its sphere of influence, in the process giving an entirely new meaning to the concept of extracting one's pound of flesh. Shylock could have learned a thing or two from this virtuosity.

It seems that Altaf's conscience too is rather convenient - only popping up when it suits his next move, at other times missing. He claims today that he's out to squash corruption in government (a problem, to be sure, but while the nation is underwater, is it really the most pressing problem we have?) But this never seemed to bother him in the past.

Musharraf promoted and protected some of the worst thieves in the country's history during his 8 1/2 years in power, virtually institutionalising corruption on a grand scale. The MQM did not seem particularly outraged. Altaf Bhai is now talking about an independent foreign policy and not bowing to American dictates. Strange that this line should be coming from someone who seemed perfectly at ease when Musharraf was creating a virtual cult dedicated to bowing to American dictates.

But perhaps it's just natural for Altaf to join the merry band of New Feudals such as Ansar Abbasi and Khawaja Sharif and all the others. Feudalism is in his blood. It's certainly in the bood of MQM. Or rather, the blodd that MQM has spilled.

The MQM's outrage or rather bombast against feudalism is also a bit surprising. Feudalism is alive in interior Sindh and southern Punjab. It is a waning if not an extinct force in the rest of Punjab and most of Pakhtunkhwa. But in Karachi and Hyderabad a new kind of feudalism has taken root, with the MQM protecting its turf and preserving its influence in a ruthless manner now lost to the dying force of feudalism elsewhere in the country.

Even as the country is drowning in the worst floods in Pakistan's history, target killings continue in Karachi, their victims mostly the poor and the worst off along the social scale. This is a grim reminder of the kind of politics in play in Pakistan's largest city and its commercial and industrial capital.

Once called the City of Lights--how distant that time seems--Karachi now is transfixed by the evil eye, organised and systematic violence at the service of politics, violence an integral part of the city's increasingly disordered skyline. Traditional feudalism, a curse in every other sense, was positively benign compared to this new feudalism empowered or rather entrenched in Pakistan's southern reaches.

Of course, as always, these New Feudals are also a brotherhood of convenience only, with no real principles to guide them other than the hope of a more prosperous next step in their careers. Perhaps Ansar Abbasi might want to watch his back.

To get a measure of this feudalism's reach, and the aura it commands, we can look at another indicator. The media is free in all of Pakistan. It is less than free, its freedom tempered, in the afore-mentioned southern reaches. Hinting at things obliquely, talking in circles, is also an indication of this same power.

At the end of it all, Altaf's move backfired.

But there is still hope in that this gambit has been attacked from all sides, the MQM as isolated on this score as it was on the evening of May 12. Which only goes to show that even the best masters of political timing can sometimes miscalculate and get things seriously wrong.

There's an important reason for this and it's quite simple. Despite the drawing room schemes of elitists and their media facilitators, the people aren't interested in reliving the past. We're interested in moving forward, and we're not falling for the same old tricks by the same old tricksters. If Altaf Hussain and all the others really want to do right by the country, they'll do right by the country and stop trying to only do right by themselves.

Who is responsible for Pakistan's Future?

2010-08-28T13:09:00Z

Mohsin Hamid's column in Dawn today is thought provoking. With people talking about who is giving more aid, who is giving less, and what it's going to take to keep the country from falling backwards after years of war and now this devastating flood, there is one question that everyone keeps missing: Who is responsible for Pakistan's future?

I don’t believe the often-repeated claim that the floods mark some great opportunity for terrorist groups. Terrorist groups in Pakistan cannot win in the long run unless they have the tacit support of the state, because these groups have no agenda capable of convincing even a large minority of the people of this country that what they seek is beneficial.

He's also right that, despite the ignorant rants of some members of the British press, Pakistan is not in danger of a coup.

Nor do I believe the floods sow the seeds of a bloody revolution. There are strong signs of discontent in Pakistan, but revolutions require more than discontent: they require an alternate vision people are willing to rally around. Yet Pakistanis seem unenamoured of political models other than our usual constitutional democracy and military dictatorship. Radical notions —theocracy, for example, or Maoist populism — have little popular support.

Okay, so if we're not going to be saved by some benevolent dictator (LOL) or jihadis (double LOL), what's the solution? The answer is, we have to save ourselves.

First, we have stop promoting all these bloody conspiracy theories that blame everything and everyone under the sun except for our own mistakes and stubbornness. There is no Hindu-Zionist Conspiracy. The invisible hand of CIA-MI6-Black Water is not using some secret weather control machine to cause floods. Suicide bombings are not "false flag" attacks. We need to pull our collective head out of the sand, take a deep breath, and get to work.

In fact, the first step is to quit looking for someone to blame, and start doing something positive.

Yes, our civilian bureaucracy is struggling to cope, as any country’s would. But Pakistan also has large and well-organised armed forces. Working together, and alongside non-governmental volunteers, a great deal is already being done, and much, much more can and must be.

We should recognise as self-harming the distinction that leads many to say the army is responding well to this disaster and the government poorly. The army and the government are branches of the same thing: the Pakistani state. The army is funded by our taxes, which are raised by our government. And governments pay for armies in part because they are helpful in times like these.

So if the army is at the forefront of the state’s flood-relief efforts and doing good work, this fact should not be cause for divisive accusations. Instead, we should build on it. Let’s have a joint civilian-military natural disaster command. Let’s have NGO-army liaison offices to use the army’s logistics and planning capacities to help concerned citizens deliver aid as efficiently as possible. Let’s have jointly maintained, publicly accessible websites and call centres so people can see what’s happening and what’s needed. We are one country. Let’s act like it.

The next step is going to be to change our mindset from one that expects someone else to take care of us.

We can begin by abandoning our mindset of foreign dependency. Yes, aid from abroad is welcome at this terrible time — no single country has the resources to deal with a catastrophe on this scale. But our desire for aid should be temporary. We need to start taking care of ourselves. We need to move beyond aid. Long-term aid cripples us. Pakistan needs to help itself. To do this, we need to look at what we already have. We have enormous know-how that can be brought to bear, especially in our giant cities. We have people who understand warehousing, trucking, road-building, vaccination, tent-manufacture. We have people who operate electronic media, customer service centres, hospitals, mobile phone networks. We have massive private homebuilders and school systems and philanthropic networks. Individual Pakistanis have skills and the burning desire to help. What we need is organisation.

American Ambassador Anne Patterson said the other day that she wants to encourage American businesses to find opportunities for investment in Pakistan.

This is hugely important - attracting not just American (though being the world's largest economy makes it very important in and of itself) but foreign investment from all the world's financial superpowers: China, UK, EU, Russia...and, yes, even India. Not because we can't build our own companies (we can), but because this is the year 2010 and we don't live in an economy with borders as strictly drawn as they were in the 18th and 19th centuries.

We need to provide a stable and inviting place where companies that want to expand and grow will invest. There are about 180 million intelligent, hard working people in this country. We need to show the world - and ourselves - that Pakistan is the next great international hub of the world economy.

And part of the way that we will make that point is by paying our fair share. For all the belly-aching about corruption, you know what I never hear? Anyone volunteering to pay for anything.

We pay only a tenth of our collective income to our state, far less than most countries. India and Sri Lanka pay half again as much as we do. We need to pay more. We need a comprehensive flood tax programme. We need to cease our foolish bickering about whether taxes should be paid to the provinces or to the centre, by merchants or by landlords, on luxury goods or on shareholdings. The answer to these either-or questions is both. Let’s tax both locally and nationally, both trading and agriculture, both consumption and wealth.

Yes, it's going to take some time to shed the residual cultural corruption that plagues our society. But refusing to pay your fair share of taxes is not solving anything. For that, we are using the bogey man of corruption is just an excuse. The more we pay in taxes, the more we're going to watch closely how that money is spent. The more transparency will reveal anyone with their hand in the till. Those miscreants will be caught, and over time we will root out the greedy and grow our investment in ourselves.

There's nobody that can save Pakistan but us. It's not going to be comfortable and easy. It's going to be hard, it's going to be painful at times. It's going to take sacrifice from every person. There will be days when we want to quit. Some will move overseas, never to return. Some will resort to crime, others to despair. But those of us who pick up this country and carry it into the future will gain the pride of our nation and the respect of the world. And that's a reward worth fighting for.

Pakistan Zindabad!

Begum Chronicles, Pt 2

2010-08-27T17:21:00Z

"The Diary of Noreen Begum" is a series from the blog Chai Chutney Politics. A woman of formidable fashion, she is married to Major General Assad Akhter, and recounts her daily life as a member of Lahore's elite.

Too much has happened this past week, I just do not know if I can take it. I had despaired of my 22-year old Mona ever marrying. She was getting too old for suitable rishtas. Assad and I kept trying and found potentials – a couple of them were very good, but she rejected them all. One was a doctor living in the United States! His salary was great, so we could forget we hate Americans. Anyway, he was very impressive. Another was an engineer who came from such a good family in Islamabad – such good people, you know Journal, they have donated much to the flood victims. Ohh that story I cannot bear to watch on tv for too long. Hamid Mir knows that we are very sensitive. He obliges by spending most of his airtime blasting the government. Honestly, what are Zardari and Gilani doing to stop the water? Nothing, that’s what.

Anyway back to Mona. She now tells me she has rejected all the suitors we have found for her because she has a boyfriend and wants to marry him! Imagine this! What would my two best friends, Jugni and Shaista, say? Mona sat down at dinner yesterday and told her father and I. Assad knows the boy, or rather the boy’s family. They are businessmen. His name is Faisal Sheikh, an heir to the business. He doesn’t really do much, but then he is an heir. Assad said he didn’t have a problem – we probably would have found him for Mona anyway. He will meet with Faisal’s father soon. After I realized I would suffer no public humiliation, I quickly realized I had a wedding to plan! I rushed to tell Nona, my 17-year old son, who by the way is a star student at Aitchison. He seemed happy for his sister but not very enthusiastic when I mentioned all the work ahead for this elaborate wedding. He looked at me and said, “You’re going to spend something like half a crore when there are millions homeless because of the floods?” and then he walked out.

Batameez!

“Naveed, come back here this instant!”

I heard the door slam. Children today are so opinionated. It’s really just rude.
Chalo, I have to call Jugni and Shaista. Shaista has a 21-year old daughter…still unmarried.

Flood Relief, Illusions, and Extremist PR

2010-08-26T15:19:00Z

Militants are very good at two things only: Killing people and public relations. But for all the publicity that extremists are getting for taking part in flood relief, they are actually doing very little. Compared to the work being done by the government and military, the partnerships with the international community, and the work being done by everyday people - extremists are doing practically nothing. So why does it seem like every time you open a newspaper or turn on the TV, there is some story about JuD or some other jihadi group doing some relief work?

"I see always such organisations and such people taking advantage of this human crisis," Zardari said. "It is again a challenge to not let them take advantage of this human crisis."

And what's interesting is not only that he's right, but that it's completely ridiculous that he even has to say it.

Nadeem Sarwar had a great article last Friday about how moderates are actually outdoing extremists in flood relief, despite the illusion of a widespread effort by extremists.

Islamists might be more organized in their relief activities for the millions of flood victims across Pakistan and even better at publicising their efforts for political gain, but ordinary, moderate people are far ahead on the ground.

Saira Bano, 24, does not have links with any political or religious groups. What motivated her was empathy for the flood victims. After a couple of consultations with her classmates at Islamabad's National University of Modern Languages, which promotes moderate and liberal values, Bano launched a campaign to help.

"We started donation collections from the university. We asked the students to give whatever they can do - all of their pocket money or just one rupee, a glass, a bag of wheat flour or bottle of water," she said. "We collected much more than we expected."

Within few days, Bano, her classmates and teachers at the international relations department had raised 4,705 dollars and collected used clothes for the flood-affected people.

"We went to the market, bought ourselves the items and packed them here at the University," Bano said. "Each packet consisted of two-time uncooked meal for a family of seven to eight people, and clothes for male, female members of the family and children."

The three truck loads of aid were distributed in Nowshera, a city in the north-western province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa where the floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains devastated large areas and forced millions to take refuge in relief camps or stay in the open.

Encouraged by the early success, Bano and her colleagues collected donations and now have enough money to dispatch several trucks of relief items to the central province of Punjab.

"Our department has only 60 volunteers but almost every department in this university and all the other universities in Islamabad are helping the flood victims. Everyone is helping them - not only the Islamists or extremists," Bano said.

Actually, this illusion can be blamed mostly on the Western media, according to Rasool Bux Raees, political scientist at Lahore University of Management Sciences.

"So far the focus has been on the organizations that are linked with militancy. Everybody believes that perhaps these are the ones which are doing the most in terms of providing aid to the flood victims. But that's not a true perception," said Rasool Bux Raees, a political scientist at Lahore University of Management Sciences.

"Militants are visible in relief activities not because of the reality on ground but because of the Western media's sensitivity towards them," Raees said. "Whatever little they do is highlighted because of this attitude of the Western media and the good work of the rest of the general society and organizations remains unacknowledged."

The truth is, moderate Pakistanis are going out of their way to bring help to flood victims.

“People and private organisations have shown a willingness to provide relief goods worth millions of rupees, but the majority of them want to distribute it themselves,” said Idrees Masood, the agency's director.

Flood survivors camping out in miserable conditions under the increasing threat of water-borne disease have staged spontaneous demonstrations, shutting some highways in protest at what they see as a lacklustre official response.

This all goes back to the ongoing problem of media promoting jihadi narratives. Militants turning into saints makes a good media story. Jihadis love it, of course. Somehow they can bomb a mosque, and the newspaper reports that they are humanitarians! This is pretty good PR for people who would just as soon kill you as give you some rice.

It also makes a good bogeyman for the Western media to scare their own people. Ever since 9/11 you see media in the US and UK jumping on any story they can to make people think that jihadis are one minute away from taking over the world or getting some nuclear weapons. The truth is completely different, of course, almost nobody in Pakistan likes the extremists. The fact that these monsters can bomb mosques while people are trying to rescue flood victims says all you need to know about their "humanitariansim".

Unfortunately, our own media is happy to help by using the opportunity. Some elements see the opportunity to bash the government, which is about as short-sighted as you can get. Do they really hate one man so much that they're willing to destroy the whole country just to carry out some sick vendetta? Let it go, guys.

Most people are doing relief work because they love their country, they love their brothers, and they love humanity. They are not extremists, they are good people. They won't turn away some families for being Ahmadi or Hindu or Christian or "the wrong kind of Muslim". They don't have a religious test to take before they will give you some food. They are doing relief work without asking for a photo shoot or a news camera. Jihadis never go anywhere without their media team in tow so that they can seem like they are the ones doing everything, when the reality is the complete opposite.

If the media paid more attention to the beauty of what our people are doing, and stopped giving these jihadis a free PR service, things would improve faster.

Is The Telegraph Anti-Pakistan?

2010-08-25T04:05:00Z

UK newspaper The Telegraph has been on an anti-Pakistan tear for the past few weeks. First, a column by their reporter Dean Nelson accused President Zardari of misusing funds for earthquake relief, a claim that was thoroughly debunked by the website Pakistan Media Watch. Today, the newspaper publishes an article by Con Coughlin calling for a coup! Why is this British newspaper so intent on attacking our government?

Actually, this is not the first insulting column by Mr Coughlin. Earlier this month he accused President Zardari of being "more concerned with politics than his people", a slap in the face of our President who was at the time meeting with UK Prime Minister David Cameron to discuss aid for flood victims and opening access to British and European markets so that Pakistan can build its own economy and not rely on foreign aid in times of crisis.

It's ironic that Mr Coughlin suggests a military coup is in order for Pakistan since his 4 August column insults not only President Zardari, but the Pak military also calling the army's response to the floods a "failure". The irony being, of course, that this demonstrates both an utter lack of knowledge and insight on the part of Mr Coughlin about the military's relationship with the rest of the government and its response to the floods.

In fact, as The Globe and Mail reported just last week, the military has improved its stature with its response to the floods, and American Senator John Kerry praised the military's response saying,

"I was impressed by the quality of the leadership, the generals who were showing us the organization that they’ve put in place, and the amazing cooperation between their military and ours was really an example of how we can work together and improve the relationship between our countries and do good things for people."

Coughlin, on the other hand, references Altaf Hussain's backwards call for martial law and registers disappointment that the generals seem uninterested in derailing the democratic process.

But Pakistan has had enough of coups and dictators. It is a testament to the professionalism and the nationalism of our generals including Gen Kayani that there is honest cooperation between the military and the other branches of government. There will be non coup, because we neither want nor require any such thing. Despite Mr Coughlin's ill-conceived insults, our military and our government officals from all parties are doing their best to manage a disaster unlike any in history.

But the most important point is this: Pakistan is a sovereign nation with a democratically elected government. How dare this Briton Mr Con Coughlin suggest a military coup to overthrow our government! Pakistan may have had a rough time over the past 62 years, but it has been far better than living under the jackboot of British Imperialism.

Can you imagine if Mr Coughlin was saying this about any other country? Calling for a coup against a democratically elected government is beyond the pale of civilized behaviour. Where is the responsibility of the British media? Or is it the bitter flavour of the Telegraph's latent imperialist racism that is souring my tongue?

We may be going through some trials now, but he wave survived worse. Inshallah, this crisis will only strengthen our unity and our resolve to build our democracy and our nation. Either way, though, Pakistan is our country, not Britain's, and we will decide how to govern ourselves without the "help" of neo-imperialists like Con Coughlin. Let him worry about his own country, please, and leave us alone.

Altaf Gets It Backwards

2010-08-23T16:05:00Z

Whatever possessed Altaf Hussain to make statements supporting a martial law, his comments are short-sighted and ill-conceived. In fact, Altaf gets the whole thing backwards. If we're going to make progress in eliminative corruption, the only way to do so is to let the democratic process work.

Remember that it was Pervez Musharraf who oversaw the last martial law regime. I know that the memory can be short, but do we really want to pretend that there was no corruption? Military is doing an excellent job of fighting militancy and simultaneously overseeing rescue and relief operations for flood victims. But a khaki uniform is not an angel's wings. Removing corruption cannot be achieved with a gun, it requires a social transformation.

I think Basil Nabi Malik's column for Express Tribune is an excellent explanation on this point. Zardari may be everyone's favourite punching bag, but isn't that really just to distract from our own complicity?

After all, it is in this country that you find a public which plays a decisive role in promoting and encouraging the taking and giving of bribes to policemen, judicial officials, and other government officials in order to ‘speed along’ their transactions or actions of interest. They openly and shamelessly evade taxes whilst demanding that the president declare his assets. Furthermore, it was the average Pakistani who gathered relief goods, for the affected families of the 2005 earthquake and then sold them in the open market for a quick buck rather than actually distributing them amongst the needy. In recent times, the public was also seen running towards the wreckage of Flight ED202, not to search for survivors, but rather to steal whatever ‘booty’ they could lay their hands on in a moment of opportunity. This public is also composed of those businessmen who hoard goods, inflate prices, and ensure that essential items remain out of the reach of the less fortunate. And finally our public is further represented by those traffic police officers and other officials who vow to hold the powers that be accountable for their actions and yet are caught innumerable times violating the rules themselves.

All of these persons are members of the public and represent the level of corruption and decadence which is seemingly seeping into the core of our social fabric. Now this is not to say that each and every member of the public is rotten to the core, because clearly that isn’t the case. However, when one sees the types of activities and ethical ‘misconduct’ mentioned above, taking place in all spheres of public and private life in Pakistan, one finds it hard to digest criticism of a president who in fact seems to be a splitting image of the kind of society we now live in.

The fact is, it is the exact opposite of Altaf Hussain's suggestion that will help to end corruption.

It is famously said that "sunlight is the best disinfectant". Also, "roaches scatter in the sunglight." Both of these sayings are meant to communicate that openness and transparency are the key to ending corruption. Openness and transparency, however, are not natural to military regimes. In order for an armed forces to operate effectively, military discipline requires a strong hierarchy of authority that is rarely if ever questioned. A properly functioning civil government requires the opposite. Just as you cannot have a properly functioning military in which every private gets to debate with every general, so you cannot have a properly functioning civil government if one man makes all the final decisions with no input from the people.

A proper civil government also requires healthy and informed debate about issues. Whether it is freedom and accountability of media or religion or education or business...different people will have different perspectives that, put together in a pot and stewed in a proper debating forum such a parliament, will form through the process of consensus building into progress for the nation.

It's understandable that Altaf wants to find an instant solution, but we are talking about the country, not a bowl of noodles. This is the same old story about the "Bangladesh option" that was popular for a while. But look what happened at the end of that? Sheikh Hasina is PM, and Khaleda Zia is the opposition leader. They may have changed position on the chessboard, but the same two begums are in still in power.

What Pakistan needs is not a martial regime - however temporary - to root out corruption. What Pakistan needs is Patience, Perseverance, and Process. Only then will we see the final reward: Progress. Saleem Zia is correct that the armed forces are greatly respected and that "every organisation should play its due role as envisaged in the Constitution". That includes the role of every citizen who must hold the politicians accountable...at the ballot box.

Floods, Fanatics, and Fault Lines

2010-08-20T11:44:00Z

Raza Rumi's column in today's Express Tribune should never need to be written. A tragedy of the proportions we are facing is a time to put aside petty differences and work to heal our wounds and move our nation forward. But this flood is doing more than washing away our crops, our infrastructure, even our people. It is washing away that layer of social blindness that hides from us our true selves. Like the famous portrait of Dorian Gray, we are finally faced with the truth. So how are we responding?

In many ways, we are responding nobly. Our military has been working tirelessly to save lives and distribute aid. Our politicians, though many were slow to grasp the enormity of the crisis, have been reaching out to friends across the globe to raise awareness and relief funds. Military and political leaders across political parties have donated entire month salaries to victims.

But there is another loud, spiteful, obnoxious response that has arisen. Like a spoiled dauphine, it wails and lashes out with complete disregard for the consequences of its tantrum.

It is truly sad that a hyper-active media elite is fanning anger and hatred in a deeply divided and polarized society beset with problems such as those we face. Yes, the government has its flaws and makes mistakes. I defy you to find a government that does not? But the level of orchestration that appears to be going on, all with the sole intention of promoting division and negativity is stunning.

Honest and constructive criticism is a natural part of democracy, but the way anger and hate is being perpetrated in our country is deeply disturbing. Too often the comments being made through the electronic media are not constructive, rather they are more reflective of a deliberate attempt to polarize society.

And this is, unfortunately, not new to the floods. Certainly there are some opportunists who are willing to exploit such a historic tragedy to promote their own agenda. But lately everything - the restoration of the Chief Justice, the NRO, where some people got their degrees, 18th Amendment...and now the floods - everything is made out to be the arrival of apocalypse, the end of the world and the country. And yet we continue on.

A flood of this magnitude would have overwhelmed any government. Hurricane Katrina almost toppled the Bush government, and they had at their disposal the full force of the American government. Even under the full control of Musharraf who was President/COAS/de facto dictator - even then the response to the earthquake was slow to get under way. Mountains can be moved, but it takes time.

Much of this constant anger and uncivil discourse is the product of a national elite obsessed with power politics and so removed from unable to understand Pakistan's deeper decline - intellectual, social, economic and military. Polarization does not suit democracy. Democracy is based on consensus, compromise, moving ahead slowly over time to avoid dangerous turns. But these elitists believe they have no need for consensus or compromise - they believe they have all the answers. In fact, they have none.

Take the floods as a perfect example. Already there are the most ridiculous conspiracy theories being emailed around saying that it was caused by a top secret weather control machine used by CIA. Children's cartoons make more sense.

Why isn't anyone talking about how deforestation in the mountains made the floods so swift, making the necessary response time impossibly immediate; how meteorologists and climate scientists couldn't assess the amount of rain expected; how there was no pre-flood evacuation and why the country still hasn't updated and improved dams over the years despite the fact that floods have been a regular threat?

Cyril Almeida writes that the flood has "uncovered 63 years of the great unwashed masses of this country. The people the state has failed in the most terrible of ways, not this week, not last month, but over its entire, sordid history."

These issues are difficult, complicated, and often uncomfortable. They require a willingness to look deep within ourselves individually, and as a society both to ask "what are we doing"?

Why is no one talking about the fact that elite media people are promoting jihadi groups? I received an email from Ahmed's website PakNationalists (what nonsense to proclaim yourself a nationalist - deeds, not political slogans make a true patriot) praising JuD's response to the flood crisis. But where is the media outcry about jihadis picking and choosing who is holy enough to save? Or that Taliban only offers help with political strings attached? Where is the outcry over this insult as there was over Kerry-Lugar's conditionalities? Why did no one in the media notice that it was Hizbut Tahrir organising the anti-Zardari protest in Birmingham and it had nothing to do with flood response or anything else.

The unabated holier-than-thou ranting from some of the elite corners of our media is embarrassing. Always with someone to blame, never willing to analyze or understand the problems ourselves, they talk a lot and say nothing. It is easy to blame India for the water crisis, but where are our reservoirs and distribution plans to keep pace with a rising population? It is easy to blame Americans for creating the jihadi nuisance during the Soviet Era, but the Americans did not create the concept of 'strategic depth' and they did not create the LeT and set them loose in Kashmir, either. It is easy to blame "the rulers" for load shedding, but why never those who didn't allow IPPs to go online on grounds of "corruption" or those who steal electricity? It's easy to turn up our noses at bribery and corruption, but how many of us are not just as guilty as those we love to hate?

Media pundits and wanna-be drawing room politicos have loved to hate Asif Zardari since before he was even elected. But behind the closed doors of their spacious air conditioned homes, you know they must be thanking Allah for delivering him. Unable to study, analyze, and provide constructive criticism on any issues, they sleep easily knowing that as long as Zardari is president, their Mercedes Benz cars and their armies of nokarein will be securely paid for. They would all be out of business if Zardari didn't provide grist for their vapid blame mills.

Gulmina Bilal Ahmad is 100% correct - until "we assume responsibility for our actions, our thought processes, and our bigoted world vision...our holier than thou attitude is not going to get us anywhere".

Visa Bogey Man

2010-08-19T06:18:00Z

This old story about diplomatic visas for the US is like a stomach ache that just won’t go away. It follows a pretty typical pattern, though – Ahmed Quraishi invents some conspiracy theory, it gets repeated by The Nation, then The News, then it just starts floating around the internet message boards. Let’s see if we can find a cure, though, and get rid of this stomach ache before it gets worse.

Discredited conspiracy wallah Ahmed Quraishi first devised this ridiculous story around the capture of the American bin Laden-hunter Gary Faulkner. Quraishi suggested that the Ambassador in Washington mistakenly believed this man to be CIA, a preposterous idea that was roundly debunked by the site Pakistan Media Watch.

Abdul Zahoor Khan Marwat picked up the theme in The News recently – another story that was exposed by the Pakistan Media Watch and described as “such poor quality that they do not even qualify as legitimate journalism”.

Now Mohammad Jamil is writing the same old story in Pakistan Observer. Mr Jamil’s article is so bad he even says, “let us hope this news is not correct”. If even you don’t believe it, why write it? Jamil then spends the rest of the page repeating the same tired old conspiracy theories. Please, sir, let them rest.

Which raises the question, who is afraid of visas?

In the 21st century, progressing countries have open visa regimes. It’s necessary for business and diplomacy to run smoothly. The US issues hundreds of visas to Pakistan, thank God. There have even been demands that more US visa sections be opened in the country to speed matters along. Why would we expect it to be any different in the reverse? Do these isolationists really think that Pakistan will benefit from less business and trade between our two countries?

The truth is, it’s all just political nonsense. The Nation, for example, praises the liberalisation of visa regimes between Pakistan and Turkey, and complains when they think there is some delay in issuing visas to Pakistani diplomats, but when it comes to Pakistan returning the gesture, it is a conspiracy!

But what is the problem, really, with granting diplomatic visas to US citizens? How many diplomatic visa holders from the US have been involved in suicide bombings? How many have been shooting up mosques? None. Are they really the problem we need to be worried about? The whole premise is ridiculous, as we’ve pointed out before.

Partly this is a mindset left over from the Soviet era. “Keep the foreigners out!” But mostly it’s just opportunism.

Truth is, all of this isolationist chatter is just a cynical attempt to get famous. Look at the people who are saying these things most. They’re wearing a European suit and sitting in AC praising jihadis and attacking Westerners on the internet. What a joke.

You can scour the pages of their websites and all you find are silly conspiracy theories about the West and excuses for jihadis. Just a few months ago I showed extensive evidence that The Nation for one has been supporting pro-Taliban narratives.

The truth is, this has nothing to do with visas and everything to do with a bizarre personal hatred for Pakistan’s ‘Man in Washington’, Ambassador Husain Haqqani. Ahmed Quraishi’s fixation on Haqqani is well documented. Now even Mohammad Jamil’s column makes a strange turn at the end to launch a ridiculous attack on the Ambassador.

Recall that it was not even a year ago The Nation and Ahmed Quraishi were declaring that Haqqani was to be sacked, in part over the granting of visas. But like the rest of their conspiracy theories, it was nothing but hot air. Just as the world didn’t end when American diplomats were granted visas, Ambassador Haqqani was not sacked.

In fact, rather than being sacked, Haqqani has been publicly praised by the Army and Air Force chiefs. The Pakistani-Americans have even given him the Pakistan Independence Day Award, which he was unable to accept because he was working to raise money for flood relief. The only people that seem to think there’s a problem with him are the ones who want Pakistan to be isolated – the crazy jihadis and their useful idiots in the right wing media. After all, isn’t it curious that it’s only American diplomatic visas that are criticised, and never visas for people like Khalid Sheikh Mohammad who are tied to Taliban and al Qaeda?

Even trying to blame Haqqani for visa policy is ridiculous. Husain Haqqani is an Ambassador. He sdoes not make visa policy, he only follows it. Husain Haqqani takes direction from Islamabad just as Anne Patterson takes direction from Washington, DC.

Mohammad Jamil’s latest repeat of this theme also repeats the old canard about how Haqqani’s book is against Pakistan. Don’t you wonder if these people have even read the book? If it was so bad, why was it the best seller in Pakistan for a long time? Many analysts think it is once of the best books on Pakistan. It doesn’t attack the Army or other institutions, but attacks the jihadi influence.

Is that really so strange? Even the ISI called “the greatest threat to national security”? Even greater than India! So why are Mohammad Jamil the rest of these fake nationalists attacking a book that says the same thing? They should take up their complaints with the ISI, perhaps.

Look, if you don’t like Husain Haqqani, so what. Don’t invite him over to dinner. But these silly stories about visa conspiracies are boring and counterproductive. In the middle of the greatest disaster in history, do we really want to be isolating ourselves? The US is giving hundreds of millions in aid, and here these guys like AQ and Mohammad Jamil are obsessing over visas and attacking our Ambassador. Give it a rest, guys.

Socho! President Zardari Must Attend the Sochi Summit

2010-08-17T05:42:00Z

by Sana Ali

Diplomats and development experts have long anticipated the upcoming Sochi Summit. The recent politicization of President Zardari’s foreign trips threatens to derail this vital meeting of the Presidents of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Russia where comprehensive projects are on the main agenda. One thing is clear: cooler heads must prevail and President Zardari’s attendance at this Summit must be regarded as an important step in securing Pakistan’s future.

by Sana Ali

Last year’s summit, held in July 2009, was deemed an enormous success. The four countries laid the groundwork for projects ranging from hydropower plants, transmission lines and general internal infrastructure. President Zardari agreed with Russian President Medvedev, Tajik President Rahmon and Afghan President Karzai all publicly agreed that economic ties needed to be strengthened and trade had to be increased in the region. What would be better for Pakistan than to have support from the countries geographically hugging her, laying a foundation that will benefit the nation for generations?

Critics of President Zardari’s attendance should open their history books (nothing of the revisionist variety), and recognize that Pakistan can once again gain access to the old trade routes into Central Asia and Russia that were long ago closed off. Russia and Tajikistan would have access to Pakistani ports. Needless to say, when Pakistani goods are promoted, Pakistan’s economy stands to profit and there is no limit to what this partnership could achieve.

President Zardari (the man voted in democratically to be head of state) should carry out the functions of his office, attend the Sochi Summit and return with good news for Islamabad. The argument that there is no need to attend Sochi is ludicrous, and narrow-minded to the point of being self-defeating. Working with the Central Asia nations to increase trade and economy will empower Pakistani business, bolster the economy and enable profits of billions of dollars a year. The real mistake is to allow the Zardari bashers to stop Pakistan from improving relations with her neighbors.

Those countries are keen to invest in Pakistan; though presently Pakistan is mired in colossal challenges, the world sees the strength and determination of the Pakistani people. It is a testament to the Pakistani people and their courage that the Summit is happening, and there are many offers of help, from all corners of the globe. We must start with our neighbors. We must use them to fight the extremists who would kill innocents; we must make decisions that will benefit generations to come. And we must never allow politics to get in the way of honoring and governing those people. Pakistan has made enough devastating decisions in the past due to cheap political stunts. Someone has to step up and do the right thing, and it may very well be President Zardari who does so. He may have to brace himself against a myriad of attacks but in the end, it is these steps and the rewarding results they will inevitably reveal that will alleviate many of Pakistan’s problems.

Pakistanis cannot afford another tragedy. Sochi needs to happen.

Fact Box: International Funding for Flood Relief (UPDATE)

2010-08-16T12:59:00Z

The UN has rated the flood disaster as the greatest humanitarian crisis. So how are the nations of the world responding? We looked at the facts last week to determine which nations were helping and which were suddenly missing in Pakistan's time of need. Today we present an updated chart based on the latest available data.

The UN has rated the flood disaster as the greatest humanitarian crisis. So how are the nations of the world responding? The facts are pretty interesting.

As you can see, not much has changed. The major differences seem to be that the USA and Norway have pledged to give significantly more (with the US way out in front).

Over the past few days, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon visited and declared the scale of the disaster "beyond imagination".

Now, US Senator John Kerry is on his way to survey the damage and raise awareness among his countrymen, so we could see US funding raise to even higher levels.

Let's pray that the international community truly recognizes the scope of this tragedy and reacts accordingly.

Fact Box: International Funding for Flood Relief

2010-08-12T16:14:00Z

The UN has rated the flood disaster as the greatest humanitarian crisis. So how are the nations of the world responding? The facts are pretty interesting.

So far the top donor of committed funds (cash in the bank) is UK, closely followed by the USA. When pledged funding is entered into the equation (funding that is promised but has not been desposited in the bank), the US shoots out to the lead by quite a margin. The chart below is made from data gathered by the Guardian.co.uk.

Obviously, monetary funding is a vital need. But it is important to also recognize the non-monetary aid that is being given.

USA has also provided essential supplies in food and transportation. Dawn reports today that US Defense Minister Robert Gates has urgently ordered helicopters into the region to provide additional support to Pakistani relief efforts.

What is especially interesting to see from the facts is that some of the nations that are most vilified - those we love to hate - seem to be doing to most to help us.

In the poll of Pakistan that we wrote about recently, it was reported that 48 percent of people said that US gives little to no financial aid to Pakistan, but looking at the data, things are quite different.

In fact, the US was viewed unfavorably by 68 percent according to the poll, an only 11 percent said they view the US as a partner. China, on the other hand, is seen as a partner by 84 percent. But look at the difference in help that China has given compared to US.

None of this is to say that the US and UK are perfect friends. But it sure seems that they are some of the better friends we have. it's easy for people to say they are your friend when you don't need anything, but when you are in trouble - that's when you find out who your real friends are.