Sir: Pakistanis must have felt proud watching Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sitting between US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the opening session of the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague. World leaders expressed satisfaction at the stern measures taken by Pakistan to ensure foolproof security of its nuclear arsenal and curb illicit trafficking of radioactive and nuclear material. Pakistan is one of the eight sovereign states that has successfully conducted nuclear tests and is believed to be in possession of nuclear weapons in excess of three digits. Obviously for many people it is a matter of pride for Pakistan to excel in technological advancements that many states with all sort of resources still dream of. However, when we see what’s going on in real life, we wonder whether Pakistanis have placed their priorities in a sensible manner. The other day the World Health Organisation (WHO) certified India and 10 other Asian countries free of polio, declaring it a momentous victory for millions of native health workers who took pains to reach each and every corner of their respective countries to ensure eradication of this menace. But where do we stand? Next to Afghanistan and Nigeria! During the last few weeks, a number of health providers and their guards were gunned down while serving this thankless nation. This week one anti-polio health worker, a mother of five, was kidnapped and murdered in cold blood in Peshawar. A recently issued UN report on children’s education in Pakistan should trigger alarm bells but a country that spends less than two percent of its GDP on education cannot expect miracles. As per the report, over six and a half million Pakistani children are not even getting primary education; one may imagine that there are more drop-outs at secondary and higher levels. Pakistan is far behind many Asian and African countries in imparting basic education at the grassroots level. For the last few days, we have been celebrating the ‘breakthrough’ in talks between the Pakistani state and the Pakistani Taliban, a shadowy umbrella organisation of different terrorist outfits holed up in the tribal areas. Perhaps we have missed something somewhere. Prime Minister Sharif is negotiating with world powers on nuclear security in The Hague while his government officials are talking peace deals with rag-tag terrorists sitting in a cave. Pakistan is still looking for a leader to lead the nation; not representatives of those who have hijacked this nation while toting guns.
MASOOD KHAN
Jubail
Saudi Arabia