Daily Times

Sir: When I was a teenager, I went on a camping trip to Fairy Meadows, a hilltop near Gilgit, accessible by foot only. One morning, some army commander came for an inspection tour of Fairy Meadows in a helicopter and, while landing, the high wind from the helicopter tore down some of our tents. Although the helicopter pilot apologised the army commander did not. The local motel keeper had arranged a big tea party for the army commander. While having tea the commander requested all the foreign campers to join him for tea, while only offering a piece of dry cake for the Pakistani campers. Similarly, on his way back, he happily allowed some foreign campers to fly with him to Gilgit but refused the Pakistani campers.
This event has had a lasting impression on me. In Pakistan, westerners are considered to be better people than Pakistanis. This has been true since British times. Even the government has allowed all dual citizens — people who have taken an oath of allegiance to their new citizen country — to work in government jobs and on important positions. Most of the parliamentarians and their families are dual citizens. I believe that it has been ingrained in Pakistani society to always like westerners more than Pakistanis themselves. That is the reason a British citizen is leading the organisation that commits crimes openly in Karachi, while a Canadian citizen is demanding that the prime minister of Pakistan step down. And the people of Pakistan are happily watching these foreigners dictate terms and blame our government for their own issues.
I for one am fed up with all this and hope that this government will take a strong decision to declare all dual citizens and persons with direct family who are dual citizens, from holding any important post in the government and from competing in any election. This requirement should be included in the constitution of Pakistan so that new governments cannot remove such requirements in the future. Countries like the US ensure that all government spending is done on US made products and services. Why can we not ensure that only true Pakistanis, with no allegiance to other nations, run the affairs of our nation?

SHAHRYAR KHAN BASEER
Peshawar