Why Armed Forces are only reliable aid-worker?

[SBD-3]

IT goes against the credibility of the current dispensation in the government in Islamabad that people have hardly donated any amount in the Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund but people throng to the Army-led camps and relief centers, to volunteer or give aid. The reason is simple, the Islamabad government has as usual been caught napping; first the Government’s Meteorological Department forecast weaker Monsoon rains than previous years (it changed its website after the deluge hit Pakistan) thus leaving the people totally unprepared for the catastrophe. The National Disaster Management Authority, which was created after great fanfare in the aftermath of the 2005 Earthquake, and is supposed to have a proactive role in managing disasters, was also totally unprepared. Pressure mounted on the government because the head of the state, President Zardari chose to visit his private chateau in France and revel in one of the most expensive hotels in London on a private trip as well as call on the British Prime Minister, despite the Brit’s insulting and humiliating comments against the people of Pakistan and thousands continued to drown in the floods back home. Touched to the quick, the reaction of the government was twofold. One, the Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani was asked to make a few cosmetic visits to some flood affected localities and observe the devastations caused from the safety of his helicopter window. When he did make a landing at Mianwali, the NDMA rigged up a fake field hospital with phony flood affectees, who were awarded compensation cheques by the PM. As soon as the PM departed for safer climes, the bogus hospital was disbanded but not before a private TV channel exposed the fraud. To rub salt in the wound, President Zardari became a victim of a shoe hurler in a PPP organized rally in Birmingham. The shoe thrower was also a jiyala, but perhaps with a pang of conscience since he could not bear his President’s merrymaking while thousands perished back home. The government, instead of gearing up its relief efforts, directed its total anger at the private TV channel, stopping its transmission, burning its newsprint and jiyalas all over Sindh, instead of stopping the flood, surrounded, attacked and ransacked the private TV channel and its newspaper offices.

In this void of rescue and relief, there was only one organization, the Armed Forces of Pakistan, which rushed to help its countrymen. Pakistan Army, which is the bigger force, bore the brunt of the rescue and relief efforts. Pakistan Air Force and Navy, though smaller in size, were not found wanting in spirit. PAF rushed its C-130s and helicopters for aiding the flood victims, while PN boats and helicopters were plying round the clock to help the people stranded in the floods. Pakistan Army engineers strived to build bridges where the original ones had been washed off; medical teams of the three forces have been in the flood hit region in all four provinces from day one while Army Jawans have not only risked their lives to rescue those swept by floods, but have also helped build dykes to keep the flood waters away.It is obvious that the Armed Forces of Pakistan, especially the Army is likely to endear itself to the people because they have been there to aid them in their hour of need. It has not indulged in photo opportunities or fake camps but even the highest level of Commanders is regularly visiting the flood affected areas. The Government on the other hand, has not only been involved in criminal neglect of the people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan (Punjab has fared slightly better because of its vibrant provincial government) but failed to learn from its mistakes in the former two provinces and could have made provisions to avert danger in Sindh. Unfortunately, the NDMA or for that matter the Government in Islamabad and Karachi took few steps to save its people. The provincial government in Sindh was busier trying to whip up pressure against the private TV channel mentioned earlier, to “save” the honour of its President and play up the Sindh Card rather than save lives. Such disastrous moves made it imperative for the Armed Forces to bend backwards to save the people in distress.
http://dailymailnews.com/0810/12/Editorial_Column/DMEditorial.php#1

 

[A.Muqeet khan]

good article only wishing that it was me with a bullet rather then that person with a shoe

 

[serenader]

good article only wishing that it was me with a bullet rather then that person with a shoe

We wished that for that corrupt bi*ch, we got our wish along with a far worst stooge. The problem is what will we get once this bastard is gone?

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Why Armed Forces are only reliable aid-worker?

Because 'parliament is supreme', 'degree is degree, fake or real', 'corruption is our haq (right)', 'Punjab Government announcing sasti roti scheme is discrimination by Punjab against other provinces', ISI team canceling a visit to the UK after the UK PM implied they were supporting terrorists is 'against democracy', but electing an 18 year old who has spent more time outside of Pakistan than in, on the basis of a 'will', is perfectly 'democratic' as is the announcement by party leadership that he will be the future leader of the PPP and Pakistan.

And on, and on, and on ....

 

[Meengla]

@Agno,
Parliament IS supreme and even some of the judges currently hearing the 18th Amendment in the Supreme Court say so. Yes, the same Supreme Court which is quite anti-PPP.
One dumb minister saying that 'degree is degree' is one thing. PM Gilani saying something to the contrary is nothing? [By the way, I think requiring a college degree to run for office is arbitrary and unfair; but that's for another topic]
About Bilawal, well, I don't like him. I don't hate him either. He parties. I used to party like him (sort of) when younger. Better than a closet Jihadi though. Bilawal will have to earn his place. Him being inherited leadership is not too far from H. Clinton or Nehru family or the women-leaders of Bangladesh in the democracies of the world. Or, Imran Khan being the one and only major leader for PTI for decade. Or about 20 assembly seats in Punjab contested by NS relatives. Same principle. Don't like Bilawal, then don't vote for him. It is a free country.

Oh, the army is relied upon because it has ruled for about half of Pakistan's history and has powerful allies in the conservative media. But only about 2-3 years ago Army's image was in the sewer and its chief, the clean, patriot Musharraf was shown the door.

Your comments are usually better than the average. But if you are implying that the army is respected now--when Pakistan is facing quite possibly its WORST natural disaster--because of 'corruption' of the PPP then it is not becoming you.

 

[Nav]

Armed forces have Mercy in their hearts while Zardari & co don't have Hearts.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

@Agno,
Parliament IS supreme and even some of the judges currently hearing the 18th Amendment in the Supreme Court say so. Yes, the same Supreme Court which is quite anti-PPP.
One dumb minister saying that 'degree is degree' is one thing. PM Gilani saying something to the contrary is nothing? [By the way, I think requiring a college degree to run for office is arbitrary and unfair; but that's for another topic]
About Bilawal, well, I don't like him. I don't hate him either. He parties. I used to party like him (sort of) when younger. Better than a closet Jihadi though. Bilawal will have to earn his place. Him being inherited leadership is not too far from H. Clinton or Nehru family or the women-leaders of Bangladesh in the democracies of the world. Or, Imran Khan being the one and only major leader for PTI for decade. Or about 20 assembly seats in Punjab contested by NS relatives. Same principle. Don't like Bilawal, then don't vote for him. It is a free country.

Oh, the army is relied upon because it has ruled for about half of Pakistan's history and has powerful allies in the conservative media. But only about 2-3 years ago Army's image was in the sewer and its chief, the clean, patriot Musharraf was shown the door.

Your comments are usually better than the average. But if you are implying that the army is respected now--when Pakistan is facing quite possibly its WORST natural disaster--because of 'corruption' of the PPP then it is not becoming you.

I understand the the honorable justices are debating the issue, but Parliament cannot be 'supreme' at the cost of certain rights of all humans that are self-evidently inalienable - yet our 'supreme parliament' did just that under Bhutto senior (and Zia of course, but then he was a dictator and that was expected of him).

Wasn't Gillani campaigning for a gentleman who faked his degree? Regardless of the popularity of this gentleman with his constituents, is forgery and lying no longer a serious crime? If I am popular in my neighborhood can I forge a couple of property deeds and award myself some PhD's?

There is a distinction between not placing arbitrary restrictions on running for office and violating the law and committing fraud to obtain benefits.

I didn't mention anything about Billawal's lifestyle - my sole point is politicians running their political parties like personal fiefdoms, appointing themselves 'chairpersons for life', and appointing 'crown princes' assured of future leadership despite having done nothing and being barely old enough to vote, and then complaining about the military 'not respecting democracy', is hypocritical and demonstration of ineptitude and tolerance of sycophancy - that leads directly into why almost three years into this government I cannot think of a single civilian institution that has been strengthened through deliberate choice by the government.

The point here is that the parties are laying the groundwork for failure through encouraging a culture of sycophancy and lack of respect for merit, as a result of 'legacy leadership'. Most people would probably not have voted for Zardari if he ran for election to the President's office directly, in fact he wasn't elected by the people. Yet here he is, for all intents and purposes, running the government and the PPP.

The best candidate from my constituency may in fact be a PPP aspirant - but does voting for him imply support for the ascension of the 'boy King to the throne'?

The Army has ruled the country for half of its history, certainly, but that is not an excuse for the civilians not stepping up in the remaining time.

The Army is respected now because it appears as a competent and honest force in contrast to the current government. And just as Musharraf was to blame for ruining the reputation of the Army with poor decisions, so too is Zardari/PPP to blame for ruining the credibility of this government with a series of missteps, some designed to save his position in power and undermine the opposition (and the resultant lack of reforms in certain key sectors - NAB etc.).

 

[Meengla]

@Agno,
No, you still sound too partisan. Too simplistic. And below par.
Bilawal is not a rare phenomenon in the dynastic politics of the world. I don't think you or others in this or other Pakistani blogspace are honest enough to move away from Zardari-phobia and analyze the influence dynastic politics in Pakistan.

I also take an exception to your statement about PM Gilani campaigning for a fake-degree holder while in the same breath you mention 'degree is degree'. PM Gilani may have campaigned for j. Dusti but the 'degree is degree' is from another person (Mr. Raisani?).

You see: There is an attempt by you and many others in the blogspace to connect different events into a coherent picture. For example, in another Topic on this forum, Imran Khan's admirers have a video in which Mr. Khan is clearly making a case that WAPDA is corrupt because Zardari is corrupt. There are countless other examples of such 'connections' floating around.

About your remarks about 'most people' would not have voted for Zardari, I accuse you of speculation if not more. Zardari ran a campaign as THE PPP leader after BB's death and his party won, fair and square, the elections of 2008. By every right he is the ELECTED president of Pakistan.

About Bilawal being the leader of PPP. It does disgust me. I am honest enough to say that. But I will also accuse the blogspace of their selective justice: There is a long list of 'leaders' in Pakistan (and some around the world) whose leadership is primarily because of their biological lineage. It is not my place to start listing these from Nooranis to Sharifs in Pakistan. Or these leaders like Imran Khan etc. But there are plenty of them. And yet...what makes the blogspace's pulse run faster is the 'Bhutto' word even if in a Bilawal one.

 

[muse]

IT goes against the credibility of the current dispensation in the government in Islamabad that people have hardly donated any amount in the Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund but people throng to the Army-led camps and relief centers, to volunteer or give aid. The reason is simple, the Islamabad government has as usual been caught napping; first the Government’s Meteorological Department forecast weaker Monsoon rains than previous years (it changed its website after the deluge hit Pakistan) thus leaving the people totally unprepared for the catastrophe. The National Disaster Management Authority, which was created after great fanfare in the aftermath of the 2005 Earthquake, and is supposed to have a proactive role in managing disasters, was also totally unprepared. Pressure mounted on the government because the head of the state, President Zardari chose to visit his private chateau in France and revel in one of the most expensive hotels in London on a private trip as well as call on the British Prime Minister...

Pakistani politiicans don't need credibility - after all, what can so called voter do about it? IN 3 years time we will more than likely have a Nawaz led government, and they will do the same thng, that is to say abdicate all responsibility other than the keenly observed responsibility to tranfer public funds into private (read their own) hands - and what will the voter of Pakistan be able to do that? What have they ever been able to do about the shenanigans of the politicians and bureaucrats?

As for the Judges, they seemed more than a little confused about their role. A curse on all their houses.

In the end, whom do Pakistanis trust? They show that with their actions and their contributions.

 

[Tayyab1796]

now i am begining to wonder why article 58.2(b) was needed by those who drafted constitution . While it has been misused in the past instead of removing it there should have been more checks put in place and A party leader occupying a neutral position of President is going to haunt this poor country for some time because precedents have been set now and if they are going to be followed this country is destined for an army takeover .

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

@Agno,
No, you still sound too partisan. Too simplistic. And below par.
Bilawal is not a rare phenomenon in the dynastic politics of the world. I don't think you or others in this or other Pakistani blogspace are honest enough to move away from Zardari-phobia and analyze the influence dynastic politics in Pakistan.

My criticism is directed at the PPP because it is primarily running the country currently, and whether or not Bilawal is a rare phenomenon or not does not take away from the absurdity of the situation - to argue that we should merely ignore it because 'it is common' is equivalent to ignoring social ills because 'they are common'. What is wrong is wrong, and should be pointed out. If three years from now the PML-N is in power and Nawaz does something similar with Hamza, the same arguments apply.

I also take an exception to your statement about PM Gilani campaigning for a fake-degree holder while in the same breath you mention 'degree is degree'. PM Gilani may have campaigned for j. Dusti but the 'degree is degree' is from another person (Mr. Raisani?).

You see: There is an attempt by you and many others in the blogspace to connect different events into a coherent picture. For example, in another Topic on this forum, Imran Khan's admirers have a video in which Mr. Khan is clearly making a case that WAPDA is corrupt because Zardari is corrupt. There are countless other examples of such 'connections' floating around.

Absolutely these events connect, since the top leadership of the PPP certainly haven't issued any condemnations or censured their party members for taking such ethically bankrupt positions, instead the Prime Minister was campaigning on behalf of a self-admitted forger and liar. I fail to see how you can argue that these events are not connected, since the PM's campaigning fits in nicely with Raisani's 'degree is degree' comment, in terms of not giving a damn that people committed crimes and lied in an attempt to get elected to office.

About your remarks about 'most people' would not have voted for Zardari, I accuse you of speculation if not more. Zardari ran a campaign as THE PPP leader after BB's death and his party won, fair and square, the elections of 2008. By every right he is the ELECTED president of Pakistan.

That's arguable - Zardari was very insistent in the beginning that he would not run for any sort of political office. His political ambitions came to the fore months after the PPP won. Given his categorical statements against running for political office when the PPP was campaigning, one could accuse him of 'bait and switch'.

And again, the political system does pose a quandary in that best qualified individual may result in an extremely unpopular and despised individual taking over the reigns of the country.

About Bilawal being the leader of PPP. It does disgust me. I am honest enough to say that. But I will also accuse the blogspace of their selective justice: There is a long list of 'leaders' in Pakistan (and some around the world) whose leadership is primarily because of their biological lineage. It is not my place to start listing these from Nooranis to Sharifs in Pakistan. Or these leaders like Imran Khan etc. But there are plenty of them. And yet...what makes the blogspace's pulse run faster is the 'Bhutto' word even if in a Bilawal one.

Why assume that the criticizm is selective? In terms of the most shocking example (in Pakistan at least), the PPP-Bilawal 'boy king' scenario doesn't have a direct equivalent. But that said, it is fallacious to argue that criticizm of the PPP is somehow 'selective' - the fact is that the PPP will bear greater scrutiny because it is in office. You can only make a case in favor of 'selective criticizm' if people doing the critiquing are not consistent in similar scenarios when a non-PPP government is in power.

Till then lets stick with the actual facts of the PPP's actions and performance, and on those counts most criticizm of the PPP is justified and legitimate.

 

[Durrak]

bcz the elected president is bzy with his family

 

[BelligerentPacifist]

The reasons I think the military makes for better rescue-workers:

1- They, like the govt, and unlike an NGO, have a global view of a disasater across the country and of particular regions. And they have a presence at all levels, and a higher level of readiness.

2- They are disciplined, trained to make an organized effort, unlike first-time-volunteers.

3- Its somehow their job (or so is supposed in Pk), and they should be trained for it.

However, in lieu of the mil, we need a full-time aid-and-relief network.

 

[GUNNER]

Pakistan military enhances image with flood relief effort


By Zeeshan Haider

NOWSHERA

Pakistan (Reuters) - With little aid from a weak civilian government, many Pakistani flood victims are pinning hopes on the military as the only institution capable of helping them rebuild their lives.

Survivors of the country's worst floods in history are increasingly impatient over a lack of food and relief goods, and are criticizing President Asif Ali Zardari's government for mismanagement.

"The military has improved its stature because they know that it is the time that they can demonstrate to the people that they can come to their rescue when civilians fail," security and political analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi said.

"This is the game that ultimately undermines civilians in Pakistan."

The sheer magnitude of the disaster in an area roughly the size of England would have tested any government, but the Islamabad's response -- particularly Zardari's European trip when the floods unfolded -- contrasted with prompt army help.

"The government has thrown us here like dogs. No one cares about us," says laborer Kifayat Khan, standing at a relief center in the northwestern town of Nowshera as dirty-faced children played in deep mud.

"Government leaders and politicians come here just for media publicity, just for photographs. They have not given us any help," he complained.

As Khan spoke, a man in a gathered crowd shouted "Army Zindabad (long live). They saved my brother from drowning. They saved us from the jaws of death.

Almost everyone at the relief center set up at the sprawling Government College of Technology in flood-battered Nowshera praised the army.

"The soldiers have set up these tents for us and gave us food but they have gone now," said Gul Bibi, a 40-year-old woman, holding her shirtless son in her lap. "Now we are not getting much help."

Many Pakistanis are ambivalent about the army. While they welcomed the return of democracy in 2008 after military President Pervez Musharraf's fall, perceived graft and political bickering in Zardari's government have made many nostalgic.

While nostalgia does not meant the army will return to power in a coup, it underscores the fragile line that Zardari must negotiate with the most powerful institution in Pakistan.

"It's only the army which is working day and night. It is because of the army that we are here," said Mohammad Munshi Shah, who fled to Muzaffarabad in Punjab province along with 23 family members after floods swept away his village.

Despite its enhanced image, the army is unlikely to rise against the unpopular Zardari at a time when it is fighting a growing insurgency by militants linked to al Qaeda and Taliban.

"The Army has improved its image domestically and it wants to improve its image internationally by fighting militants," Rizvi said.

 

[Solomon2]

"This is the game that ultimately undermines civilians in Pakistan."

Does anything prevent an Army general from resigning his commission to run for President? Once elected he can whip the civilians into shape.