Pakistan Army's relief work and Political dominance

It is shocking to see how the world can manipulate anything and everything in Pakistan. After the floods that brought not only million tons of merciless waters but with it homelessness, hunger, death and disease, we see foreign media worried about Pakistan Army doing the relief work. Soon after the floods began to catch international attention, BBC released an article entitled “Criticism of Zardari in Pakistan hides a political game”. The article talked about how the President of Pakistan – who he was shopping luxurious residence outside in Europe and not with his people when they needed material and emotional support – is being criticized by Pakistani media. The article tried to argue that the country’s Army took the opportunity and played well by immediately starting the relief work. The readers were supposed to indulge their thoughts into a controversy theory. An article published in Time Magazine entitled “In deep waters” having a highlight that floods are the moment some hard-line Islamists were waiting for, could not help but talked about media’s portrayal of President Zardari, the civilian government in general and the Pakistan Army in the almost half of the write up. It quoted Farzana Shaikh saying that when the civilian governments fail, people tend to “fall back, sit around themselves…” and rely on the armed forces. Also, friends of Pakistan Army in the media helped by showing that the army has risen to the challenge. Later, the author quotes Talat Masood, retired Lieut. General commenting that “(army’s enhanced standing) will mean that it will occupy more political space and strengthen its dominance over political institutions.”

As for the Pakistani civilians falling back and waiting for the Army is concerned, FYI there were groups of civilians who rushed to the flood hit areas within a couple of weeks with the goods they could collect. Obviously, the lack of dry land in those areas and inflation in the country did not allow as much people to reach and help as we saw in 2005 earthquakes. I wonder who else media would show when there is Pakistani Army at large doing the relief work. Friends in media or not, ask the citizens that managed to go the flood hit zones, they found the army doing the major work. The credibility of the government is so, that most of the NGOs and private groups collecting donations for the victims went straight to the army relief camps instead of those held by the government in order to make sure that the stuff and money goes to the deserving. Why are people talking about political gains in midst of a tragedy? Instead of appreciating those who are helping, how could someone think of it as a friendship between an institution and media of the country? Oh yeah, it may be that Army (like some mad scientist) had planed this rescue during the (unexpected) natural disaster (as apart of a preplanned scheme) knowingly that there will be minor help from the government side (to rule the world?). It seems that even if Pakistani Army comes to the rescue, it will not get credit for saving the day but actually be seen as waiting for cashing in the opportunity with a well thought over scheme.