Have been watching different economists and budget gurus giving their expert opinions and feedbacks on the budget. It is interesting to see the secret desires of most analysts: if they were the finance minister this is how the budget would have been free from all glitches. Was planning to scribble some thoughts on the reactions of these experts and the budget but at midnight the news of the so-called US "diplomats" attitude towards and with the Pakistani police and security agencies in Peshawar changed my line of thought.
The first phrase that came to my mind as I watched the blatant arrogance of the four Americans was "Pakistan for Sale" and second one was "Thou shall not be touched if thou art an American." My history professor used to say that we are still slaves because of our mentalities. At midnight a car is stopped by our police given its suspicious movements in the city and worse still because the vehicle has a broken number plate AND displaying ANOTHER number plate behind the front window. Four US citizens are driving on the streets of Peshawar past midnight (when even most Pakistanis fear to tread the streets of Peshawar) without the knowledge of the Pakistani security agencies. An interrogation of more than 1.5 hours takes place without our Amreeke "masters" even getting off the car!! No information whatsoever is given for at least an hour about the false number plate and no reason given about what they were doing in the middle of night even when locals also fear to travel in that sensitive zone. The national media channels (BBC and CNN remain asleep) report that the Interior minister Rehman Malik has ordered that the vehicle be towed to the local police station and for the rule of law to be followed (my wife and I almost choked with ironic laughter at hearing his remarks conveyed through a reporter), but maybe his voice never reached the police officials, since they checked the American passports (which were of course "diplomatic") and allowed them to depart (not before offering them a cup of tea, mind you)!
I honestly do not know whether to laugh at how low our country has fallen or hold my head in shame. I cannot really blame the police who probably wet their pants (pardon my crude language) the minute they found the car had Americans in them, but who else can and should I blame? If it was some four Pakistanis (with beards) in a car with tinted windows who refused to roll down their windows or get off the car, our police would automatically have shown their bravery, balls and mentality by breaking down the windows and worse! Incidentally, no Pakistani would dare take a "panga" like this in the first place. Such double standards- the interrogation of a Pakistani would have been so downright insulting and abusive that the citizen would feel ashamed and I wonder why he was born in this country.
After the Raymond Davis slap in the face by the American government, we all know Americans (read Americans with diplomatic immunity, since now they probably ALL have it regardless) have no respect for the laws in other countries, especially Pakistan. If they had genuine documents why were they scared to get off the car? The way they were confidently chatting and laughing in the car it gave us a signal that they don't care or to be more precise they gave us a finger. I am sure if these so called diplomats were in their own country showing the same behaviour they would be in jail or worse shot! We have witnessed what they did to Bill Clinton, Eliot Spitzer or recently IMF chief in New York. This is what is known as rule of law and how it is implemented.
My friend went to US and returned with three US born kids along with his PhD. He told me that now he is father of the strongest kids with brightest future. Today I realized that may be he was right that being a US citizen means you have the license to abuse everyone. Now Pakistan has another breed of coconuts- brown from outside but white from inside. Or may be Pakistan was never a free country and only the masters increased from one British colonist to the whole developed world.
Is it really easy to buy any country? Are the individuals born in such countries mentally paralyzed and physically circumcised?
Pakistan should demand a written apology from the US embassy for the behaviour exhibited by their so called diplomats. Haven't we stooped enough in front of our masters?