Once Again that Begging Bowl

JASARAT
Editorial
November 30, 2006


Translated by: Syed Farooq Hasnat


The government has announced that for the initial stage of the construction of Kala Bagh Dam, it plans to borrow some million rupees from international donors. The government has specified the amount as according to each item. In recent years both General Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz have repeatedly said that they have done away with the begging bowl. General Musharraf claimed that now we are not a country that borrows but we have been included in the list of nations that give aid. As according to the above information we have once again presented the begging bowl in front of the international community. This situation is in spite of the fact that according to General Musharraf our economy has recovered, the foreign exchange reserves have touched record high, poverty has been reduced and the economic stability and prestige of the country is restored. We are begging for some million rupees, despite (the claim of recovery by General Musharraf). If we exchange this amount into dollars it becomes a very small total. After all what has happened to our foreign exchange reserves of 13 billion dollars?

Unfortunately, our rulers, especially the army dictators are habitual liars. They ascribe those feats to themselves, which does not exist at all. The important point is that they are begging for such a plan which is not there in any projection of the government and on top of it this plan is disputable. If seen from this angle the people are correct in thinking that General Pervaiz Musharraf is highlighting the Kala Bagh Dam project for politically gains in the next general elections. If this dam was so important for him, he could have started it seven years earlier. He now mentions Kala Bagh Dam for political gains.