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By Aleem Maqbool
BBC News, Pakistan
The aftermath of the great monsoon floods is still a major problem facing Pakistan which is also suffering from regular suicide bomb attacks by Taliban militants. But as Aleem Maqbool reports, there seems to be little determination and will to tackle the country's problems head on.
In Mianwali, in Punjab, by the banks of the River Indus, we surveyed the impact of the floods with a local businessman and landowner.
All around, we could see the devastation caused to his farms, and the effect that would have on hundreds of labourers.
I asked him whether he believed money had in the past been embezzled instead of going into flood prevention projects, as many have suggested. And who, generally, he blamed for the lack of preparedness.
His response was surprising.
Many flood victims have been neglected
"You know, we've never had so much water come down the Kabul River (from Afghanistan) and flow into the Indus?" he said. "Strange, isn't it?"
I took a moment to digest the question, then asked if he was trying to suggest Afghanistan or America had something to do with the floods.
He paused for a moment.
"India," he said, without a hint of irony.
Slightly taken aback by what this educated and erudite man was saying, I suggested that there had been the highest rainfall ever recorded in Pakistan, and surely that could not have been caused by India.
He scoffed: "Don't you know they have the technology to create artificial clouds and send them across the border?"
I decided to leave the discussion at that.
Blame culture
But in Pakistan, there does seem to be a bogeyman for every one of its multitude of crises.
That often, of course, diverts attention from the underlying problems and serves to shield those with true responsibility.
It may... be that the ruling elite here do not really think things are all that bad
Take the huge cricket scandal this year in which Pakistani players were accused of cheating in return for large sums of money.
Initially, there was shock and a sense of shame, but very soon Pakistani politicians and diplomats were accusing the British press, and, yes, the Indians, of a conspiracy to destroy Pakistani cricket.
This week Pakistan's cricket board may have been pushed into announcing a new code of conduct for its players, but no one here really believes that much will change.
The board's chairman - who was accused of not providing enough security when the Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked by gunmen here last year, who was in charge during a disastrous tour of Australia when rumours of cheating resurfaced, and who is seen by many around the world as having handled the latest crisis badly - remains comfortably in charge.
President Asif Ali Zardari even sent him a note of congratulations this week, following the news that at least one match was found to be free from cheating.
The West, Zionists, and the international media, all often prove handy bogeymen, but so too does President Zardari himself.
It seems the focus of hatred and blame does not have to be foreign.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/9110766.stm
BBC News, Pakistan
The aftermath of the great monsoon floods is still a major problem facing Pakistan which is also suffering from regular suicide bomb attacks by Taliban militants. But as Aleem Maqbool reports, there seems to be little determination and will to tackle the country's problems head on.
In Mianwali, in Punjab, by the banks of the River Indus, we surveyed the impact of the floods with a local businessman and landowner.
All around, we could see the devastation caused to his farms, and the effect that would have on hundreds of labourers.
I asked him whether he believed money had in the past been embezzled instead of going into flood prevention projects, as many have suggested. And who, generally, he blamed for the lack of preparedness.
His response was surprising.
Many flood victims have been neglected
"You know, we've never had so much water come down the Kabul River (from Afghanistan) and flow into the Indus?" he said. "Strange, isn't it?"
I took a moment to digest the question, then asked if he was trying to suggest Afghanistan or America had something to do with the floods.
He paused for a moment.
"India," he said, without a hint of irony.
Slightly taken aback by what this educated and erudite man was saying, I suggested that there had been the highest rainfall ever recorded in Pakistan, and surely that could not have been caused by India.
He scoffed: "Don't you know they have the technology to create artificial clouds and send them across the border?"
I decided to leave the discussion at that.
Blame culture
But in Pakistan, there does seem to be a bogeyman for every one of its multitude of crises.
That often, of course, diverts attention from the underlying problems and serves to shield those with true responsibility.
It may... be that the ruling elite here do not really think things are all that bad
Take the huge cricket scandal this year in which Pakistani players were accused of cheating in return for large sums of money.
Initially, there was shock and a sense of shame, but very soon Pakistani politicians and diplomats were accusing the British press, and, yes, the Indians, of a conspiracy to destroy Pakistani cricket.
This week Pakistan's cricket board may have been pushed into announcing a new code of conduct for its players, but no one here really believes that much will change.
The board's chairman - who was accused of not providing enough security when the Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked by gunmen here last year, who was in charge during a disastrous tour of Australia when rumours of cheating resurfaced, and who is seen by many around the world as having handled the latest crisis badly - remains comfortably in charge.
President Asif Ali Zardari even sent him a note of congratulations this week, following the news that at least one match was found to be free from cheating.
The West, Zionists, and the international media, all often prove handy bogeymen, but so too does President Zardari himself.
It seems the focus of hatred and blame does not have to be foreign.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/9110766.stm
