Re: Malala hamari beti hai…
Malala’s diary made loud noises because she was writing for a foreign news agency, BBC. Had she been writing locally, as many others are, it wouldnt have made a difference and noone would have ever noticed her. This is the political aspect of it.
Beyond that, a person’s importance is not judged by how many taliban are targeting him/her. Every human being is equally important, and deserves equal treatment and respect, which our government does not give. Only when something makes headlines is where our politicians step in to ‘make a difference’. There are countless Pakistanis who oppose the taliban, in and out, and voice their opinions on the subject as well. Everyone has their own way of doing it. The attention given to her would make excellent sense if everything else was taken care of. But nothing is.
PIA aircraft on standby for almost 2 weeks. Cost? No doubt in the millions.
UAE air ambulance sent in. Partial cost may have been borne by the UAE, but the treatment abroad will certainly cost an arm and a leg.
And the bottom line. Isnt medical care available in Pakistan? We have one excellent hospital after another in the country. Everything is available. She SHOULD have been treated in Pakistan, if nothing else, then for the national pride itself. Instead, she has been flow in a UAE aircraft with UAE doctors, to a UK hospital. (And I remember a statement by Rehman Malik somewhere in between where he said that 'Mr. President will pay for her treatment abroad from his own pocket. We all know how that goes.) And from what I have seen in the news, the most dangerous part has been taken care of. Now she is in recovery mode. So what gives?
If the government has enough resources that they can afford such treatment to all its citizens, then more power to Malala. But sadly, the country cannot afford this. Perhaps Zardari can, but the country cannot.
Next thing you know, Malala and her family will be offered asylum by some western country.