Ziarat Residency

It was indeed shocking and agonising to see the historic residency reduced to the ashes and along with it the invaluable heritage and many a rare memorabilia of the Father of the Nation lost to the nation for ever.  As if the agony was not enough that to add salt to the injury some sycophant newspaper came up with a headline that Ch. Nisar has ordered to restore the residency to its original form and appearance.  Bravo !! Who is Ch. Nisar and in what capacity he has ‘ordered’ it to be restored as such?  Is he going to spend the money from his pocket on the restoration of the residency?  If not, then why not say that the government has decided to restore the residency.  Why name an individual? When will we learn to rise above such self styled personal adulation and adoration and that too at the cost of the national calamities? Also would it not be the purview of some Ministry of Works and Housing etc. instead of the Interior to undertake t he restoration ?  Would it not be the Ministry of Culture and Heritage (whatever the actual name) that would know what to replace and replicate and how than the Ministry of the Interior?   

Chaudhry Sahib you better concentrate on what is your duty and that is to ENSURE the safety of life and property of all citizens of Pakistan than restoring the damaged properties.  It would be quite an achievement for you to accomplish even an iota of what is required of you.

Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)