Adil Najam
These photographs were taken at Daata Sahib (Daata Darbar), Lahore, on Sunday, May 4, by Associated Press photographer Emilio Morenatti. The suggested photo description reads:
Pakistani[s] struggle to get a piece of bread during a food distribution outside the Data Durbar mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, on Sunday, May 4, 2008. World rice and other grains prices have risen sharply this year because of growing demand, poor weather and rising cost of petroleum in some grain-producing countries. Some Asian countries, including India and Vietnam, recently suspended rice exports to guarantee their own supplies.
The current – and future – food crisis (in Pakistan and elsewhere) is something that I spend a lot of time thinking about in my professional life these days. And Daata Sahib is a place I have been visiting for longer than I can remember. Based on this, I can say that had the photographer gone to Data Sahab at just about any time he could have taken such photographs of people who come to get food being distributed as charity by the devotees. That fact notwithstanding, the pictures are poignant metaphors for a food crisis that is real and shows all signs of becoming ever more real for ever more people. And all over the world, including in Pakistan.
In the case of Pakistan, the food crisis comes hand in hand with an energy crisis and in an environment already rife with political uncertainty and extremist threats. Food and energy shortages could become worse this summer. Food shortages do not make a companion to long periods of energy outages (load-shedding). This is a dangerous mix and those currently engrossed in political shenanigans might soon find that their best laid political plans would come to naught if these basic needs remain unmet.
Passions flared by empty stomachs and load-shedding induced restlessness can be a terrible thing.
Dear Brothers
Pakistan is suffering from different problems at present one of them is load shedding. I dont understand why the goverment does not look into SOLAR ENERGY because this is the future. Here in europe they are planning to build solar stations all arround middle east and the cables will bring electricity to europe . In pakistan sun is available freely and it doesnt cost much either to build solar energy stations. Here in UK people have made personal home solar energy mirrors on tope of their house costs arround 6 lakh pakistani rupee once and for life time u got electricity for your home. Green energy as well.
Plz convey they message to authorities if anyone reads it, I hope
Kind Regards
Roaid
Pakistan is suffering from different problems at present one of them is load shedding. I dont understand why the goverment does not look into SOLAR ENERGY because this is the future. Here in europe they are planning to build solar stations all arround middle east and the cables will bring electricity to europe . In pakistan sun is available freely and it doesnt cost much either to build solar energy stations. Here in UK people have made personal home solar energy mirrors on tope of their house costs arround 6 lakh pakistani rupee once and for life time u got electricity for your home. Green energy as well.
Plz convey they message to authorities if anyone reads it, I hope
Kind Regards
Roaid
Going back to the food crisis, it is a combination of government mismanagement and global pressures. If Malawi has been able to manage its food crisis, why can’t we? I don’t think it is a foregone issue and I think that if a proper economic commission is set up to tackle the problem, we would be able to limit the damage. Given our current political state and given Ishaq Dar’s “control-freak” nature, I am not overly optimistic that it will be handled properly. Nevertheless, Dar is one of the few skilled economic managers we have and I do believe that he will be able to institute a small degree of relief for the people.
Brother Shahid,
I have, throughout my life, heard over and over again about how Pakistan is located strategically, how we are so important to the World, etc….let me tell you something yaar, the day we use our resources to our advantages will be the day you can proclaim that yes, we have such and such XYZ advantage – till then, it is merely a liability.
I don’t need to tell you about Pak’s foreign policy blunders – even a 4 year old is aware of them.
As per talent, the few who are talented either are under-paid, under-exposed and others leave and work outside Pakistan.
When your big cities like Karachi, and Lahore can’t boost a 70%+ literacy rate (in useful fields), the talent is useless. We don’t have any world class medical and technical facilities – we consume, we don’t invent – we are followers, not leaders.
Go outside the cities and there you see the literacy rate drop so low that it is not even funny…what talent you see there aside for “Ithay dal do khaad, kappas ziada achi ugay gi” — give me a break.
Sarmad bhai,
I am not an unpatriotic Pakistani however, I no longer ‘love’ Pakistan – I care for it as my cousins live there, it is a muslim nation, I have the nationality and that is it. There are positive and negative articles on Pakistaniat – doesn’t mean Pakistaniat website is anti-Pakistani, now does it?
To the poster before me,
Thanks for understanding. However, we in Pakistan are NOT the part of system. We don’t have any say in the system. The country is a land of feudals – when the ‘democratic’ PPP can proclaim a 19 year old Bilawal ‘BHUTTO’ Zardari to be the next head of the party (in other words, of Pakistan), who conveniently also happens to belong to a huge feudal tribe, what does that mean?
You can cry and shout and keep on going on strike – trust me, even if Pakistan was to go as bad as Zimbabwe, these feudals won’t care as they have enough money making ways up their sleeves.
At this crucial crucial stage, instead of discussing about food supplies, being proactive, running here and there for electric generation, our so-called (not mine – they don’t represent me) leaders are busy debating the judges. Lousy people don’t even know how to handle finances.