Comment: Embassy of Pakistan responds

Paper Edition | Page: 8

July 17, p. 8

This is in response to a letter published in your esteemed daily on July 14, entitled “Pakistan’s Corrupt System” by Atif Salahuddin. The writer has given an uninformed view of the developments in Pakistan.

Pakistan is a progressive and democratic Islamic state. All minorities enjoy complete religious freedom within certain norms. To call it “a corrupt secular system’ only illustrates the confusion and personal bias of the writer vis-à-vis religious freedom in Pakistan. (Syeda Ayesha Tassaduq, First Secretary Press, Embassy of Pakistan, Jakarta)

Your comments:

It is a very well-reasoned and elaborate response by Ms Ayesha. Being an Indonesian, I must admit that we have many Indonesians here who are fixated with a pessimistic prism.

They are not prepared to see the many good things done irrespective of what you do. Corruption is and will remain a concern for all and sundry in all parts of the world, but I am sure the continuity of democratic practices will help evolve and bring in stronger corruption eradication mechanisms like the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Notwithstanding the above, however, it is really very encouraging to hear that our friends in Pakistan are treading the course of democracy and are trying to help alleviate poverty with so many reforms and support programs.

The kind of challenges Pakistan is facing — due in no small part to its geographic location — are indeed immense: A country lying next to a hotbed of extremism and terrorism, with an unfriendly neighbor on its other side.

Hats off to the resilience and resolve shown by Pakistani citizens and their government for single-handedly facing these challenges.

The world at large, and the US in particular, needs to support and help Pakistan to overcome these challenges.

Peter Jackson