an Uncovered
Members of the Pakistani government and their families live a life of opulence relative to that of ordinary Pakistani citizens - the Prime Minister’s sons, for example, are currently being educated abroad. They and their friends fly to and from their country as frequently as they please; the cost of each flight more than the average annual GDP per capita in the country – not to mention in comparison to the cost benefits of educating children in Pakistan. Why must the Prime Minister’s sons be educated abroad? It may have something to do with the inadequacies of the Pakistani education system, something the Prime Minister presides over and does not
seem to be placing as much positive emphasis upon as some would have hoped. Pakistani forces say they have arrested hundreds of suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked militants in the rugged, restive tribal regions along the Afghan-Pakistani border. Tens of thousands of troops are deployed in the area, which has been the scene of fierce fighting between security forces and suspected militants. Visitors to such areas expect to be shot at as a matter of course. Cambridge sources report the stark contrast between the triviality of exam stress, compared to the starkness of such seemingly arbitrary violence – from the Marriott hotel bombing to bullets through the windscreens of friends’ cars. However, the same sources say that there is still hope for the country. One met with prominent journalist, Mr. Javed Choudry, considered by some to be the most respected journalist in Pakistan. He a column for the biggest newspaper in the country and hosts his own talk-show. In a diary extract recalling the meeting with Mr. Choudry, the Cambridge source wrote: ‘Pakistan isn’t being taken over by the Taliban, that is the ground reality. I know it’s hard for me to just state this, and I was sceptical too; it was quite evident from my experience that it wasn’t. I asked Mr. Choudry whether there was such a threat in the first place. He did say that there is a threat and it’s not like this is to be taken lightly but the
government does have control in a major part of the country and that there are only a few areas of SWAT […] that are seeing such a militancy. There is a disparity between fact and what we generally see on the media for various reasons but its important to recognize that there is this disparity.’ So will we ever really know what is going on in Pakistan? If censorship and secrecy continue to such an extent we will never have the opportunity to find out what goes on behind the scenes. In the same diary, our source claimed: ‘It was refreshing to see so many projects for better education, health, infrastructure and uplifting of the masses. Pakistan is on the right path towards development, the media and judiciary finally establishing them in a revolutionary way.
THERE IS HOPE FOR THAT PART OF THE WORLD, A LOT OF IT, AND THE ONLY THING THAT REMAINS IS FOR US SITTING AT THIS END OF THE WORLD TO REALIZE IT.’
In light of this it is difficult to see why the government continues to remain so secretive about its processes. Nepotism and corruption have marred Pakinstan’s government up to this point. It is to be hoped that in the future it will engage more openly with its people through the media to chronicle such development. Failure to do so would ensure that it remains as enigmatic as it is currently.
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