Sorry Mr President all forgot you but not me

I wonder more and ponder less or other way round, whichever you like the best, as to why and how not even a single soul be a male or female amongst millions of Pakistanis both living in Pakistan and or overseas has told us latest about our President Asif Ali Zardari who is sick and flown out from Islamabad and admitted to a hospital in Dubai as per the news flashed by Pakistan Observer in its issue of 23^rd instant. He must have flown out on 22^nd and hence the news was flashed next day on 23^rd and it is already Tuesday 28^th and 1900 hours Kuwait time when I am writing it.

Before going to the details about his sickness I simply cannot help mentioning that come what may all of us must remember and realize not just now but till the time he is our head of state irrespective of the fact whether we like it or not that his sickness is completely different sickness if one is to compare the same with either my sickness or even your sickness or rest of Pakistanis for that matter. I am pretty sure that even a simple brute could understand as to what I have hinted about and hence none needs any explanation and or clarification about the same and resultantly each one of us must have fully understood as to what could be the rationale on my part to compare my our sickness with that of the president.  He being the president of the country has an official entity which certainly not only we both but the rest of the Pakistanis too can neither claim nor even dream of whatsoever. He is at the top of the ladder and therefore there is none above him in power corridor of Pakistan. However, the same person whom the world recognizes as President of Pakistan is Asif Ali Zardari too meaning by that without any reference and tinge to his official capacity as President of Pakistan he is a human being also exactly like me or you or both.

I am all the time opening our all dailies both in English and Urdu almost on 24 hours basis which have windows saying latest news and therefore for quite some years I keep on clicking to their web sites so that minute to minute I am fully abreast of as to what is going on in my country but one way or the other noting could be read by me about the latest health status of president Zardari since 23^rd till now. It will be very much unfair on my part if I do not acknowledge and applaud the wonderful services these newspapers are providing under latest news because in absence of such facility one had to wait till next day to read the news in the newspaper itself.

Isn’t it too pathetic that despite my aroused feelings and concerns towards the president I neither have the capacity nor the facility to reach him at this point of time when he is not only sick but also admitted into a hospital and that too not back home but overseas. Home is home rather sweet home so from that point of view Zardari is not at home at all which can be felt only but cannot be described. I wish to have carried at least bouquet of flowers, toffees and juices (very common in Kuwait) and flown to Dubai which is not that far off from Kuwait in any case to call on him and personally ask him about his health. Furthermore, I really regret that I do not have his email either otherwise alternatively I had at least composed my befitting poem captioned ‘Get Well Soon’ and sent to him till he was on the bed in a hospital in Dubai. My sheer bad luck that under the given circumstances I cannot reach him either in person or through email but nevertheless I have not kept silent and have at least expressed my feelings and described my shortcomings.

Doesn’t simple official courtesy demand that we must keep a track about him who is none but head of state of our beloved Islamic Republic of Pakistan? Officially speaking there are so many names and ranks which, if I am not mistaken, must be directly or indirectly responsible to look after the president but not even one of them have said anything about his sickness which is more perplexing than annoying. There is a long list of the people who can be asked about the health and treatment of president in Dubai but due to paucity of time and space I am not touching here all those persons only who are 100% responsible for all the actions and movements of the president and anybody who occupied these positions in the past too have always rendered such like services to previous presidents and therefore it is nothing new but old one and therefore they are officially obliged to keep us informed about Zardari rather than keeping us in dark.

First and the foremost high ranking officer responsible to tell us about the president is none but the advisor to the president who holds the rank of a minister  and works exclusively for the president and therefore invariably all the news about the president are issued through his office. Principal Secretary to the president is yet another very high ranking officer who is all the time with him and ensures that all day today activities are being performed professionally. He is very rightly called as eye and ears of the president. Press secretary is yet another person whose job is exclusively to very closely and regularly coordinate with press machinery including television, radio, newspapers and magazines etc.  Then comes his personal secretary who is always with him like shade thus he role should also be reckoned when we talk of the president. Needless to mention all of them are always with or near to the president when he is not only in Pakistan but also go on overseas trips.  However, in the given situation when the president has fallen sick, some of them if not all of them must have gone with him to Dubai but if for some reasons they had to be in Pakistan then they should have at least inquired about his health and get the news carried over through each and every outlet. Isn’t it very surprising that all of these who are not only supposed to update the media about president illness but also to ensure that the news is prominently flashed through all the media services but alas they have completely forgotten the same president since he is now admitted in a Dubai hospital? Are they officially obliged to tell us about his health only when he is in Pakistan and not overseas?

Asif Ali Zardari is co-chairman of Pakistan Peoples’ Party which has its million of followers all over the country right from Quetta to Lahore; Pehawar to Gilgit; Karachi to Wagah and likewise Lahore to Multan etc though undoubtedly it is very much deeply rooted in Sindh. Many of PPP leaders have been seen on different television channels, in various newspapers and magazines for couple of years in continuity in connection with different subjects and topics. Some of the party workers are really very much loyal and dedicated to Zardari and therefore it can be rightly understood that some of its die hard followers must be feeling very much uneasy and disturbed on hospitalization of their beloved leader and they must be waiting each and every minute to know about the health of the their beloved party leader. They certainly lack authority which is enjoyed by those who are listed in the preceding paragraph but nevertheless some of them for sure must have been instrumental in getting news flashed through our media if they sincerely wished to do so. How and why none of them tried to reach media people to tell the public as to what is the latest status about the health of the president? What prompted them to forget the sick president? Why they did not dare to ignore him when he not sick and hospitalized?

Next category of persons is those who are called relatives which include the both near ones and come what may they simply cannot sit idle without caring the least about Zardari health. Blood relatives take priority over other relatives simply because of the blood affinity between them and though I am not sure how many of his blood relatives are in Pakistan or overseas and who are with him in Dubai but nevertheless they all both individually and collectively are morally obliged to keep up updated about his health but none even one bothered to do so. He must have so many cousins like all of us have including me so where are they all? I am sure they all must know that he is no more as healthy as he was till 22^nd instant so they should have knocked at all the doors to ask about his health.  It is quite but natural that relatives whether blood or distant away are always much worried as and when someone from amongst them fall sick which applies to Zardari and his clan as well.

Lastly I will hurriedly touch about some other categories too who have some linkage and association with Asif Ali Zardari and from that point of view they simply cannot shirk their responsibility towards the president. Class fellows come at number one and since Zardari is an educated person so he must have had his class fellows in school, college and university wherever he has studied and I am sure that some from the lot must be in contact with him which quite naturally binds them morally to be concerned about his health. What about those who played with him whether in the streets or clubs unless he did not play with anyone which I seriously doubt could be correct? Can they be ignorant about him particularly now when their co-player is sick? Where are his neighbors who can be both male and female and some of them must be still knowing and contacting him off and on if not regularly? How can they be at ease by ignoring him when he is on sick bed?

Summing up, I am completely unknown to Zardari from each and every set of imagination but yet I am very much concerned about his health and I wish him speedy recovery but at the same time I am really baffled as to how and why all of those whom I have mentioned herein could be so much unconcerned about his health. We should not forget that anyone can fall sick anytime and as when someone falls sick then he  or she definitely wants at least some if all to visit him or her which is very much applicable not only to Zardari and me but you too, if not annoying.