The coronavirus crisis had killed 259 people in China by Saturday, and they’re about 12,000 cases worldwide. The virus seems to be taking advantage of air travel. There are four suspected victims in Pakistan. All of that adds up to a global emergency, and that means that the 28,000 Pakistanis studying in China cannot be brought back to Pakistan. And as for the 500 or so in Wuhan, forget it. To hear the government, the only thing standing between the world and the spread of the coronavirus were the Pakistani students in Wuhan. I wonder how any students mother would have felt about that decision.
It would probably console her to know that the Cabinet and the Foreign Office, and certainly not the Prime Minister, had no kids studying in Wuhan. If they had, they would have spread the virus to the rest of the world anytime, so long as those kids could be reunited with their mothers.
Mothers matter. Ask the Senate, which passed an act providing for both paternity and maternity leave. No need to worry, for the National Assembly has yet to pass it, which means paternity leave is not yet a law. I suppose the population planning people are against it because it would increase the population if men are encouraged to become fathers. I doubt if anyone ever became a father because there would be paternity at the end. And what about disputed paternity? Maternity is fairly certain, except of course hospital substitutions so beloved once of film scriptwriters, but paternity is another matter.
Perhaps we should let the coronavirus loose, to help reduce the population of the world. However, death means the stopping of life, and thus the prevention of the fulfilling of potential. The death of Kobe Grant in a helicopter crash meant that the USA was deprived of a future President. Look, if Imran Khan can become Prime Minister of Pakistan, why shouldn’t the USA elect a basketball star in the future? If Donald Trump can come off a reality show to become President, why not Kobe as the second black President? Well, Kobe is dead, so the field has opened up, and one would have to look at the Halls of Fame for various sports to find potential candidates. Of course, if anyone has built a cancer hospital, that would be a plus. Having allegations of having a daughter out of wedlock would help, but isn’t essential.
Trump has not bothered to build a cancer hospital, and is not black, being orange. But while Kobe’s daughter who was killed with him, was acknowledged, Trump is supposed to have an unacknowledged daughter. That isn’t why he will get off the impeachment he faces. It’ll be because of his daughter’s husband Jared, who helped put together the Deal of the Century, which will mean that Palestinians will give up as much land as the Israelis want, in exchange for $58 billion. The Palestinians have rejected the deal, though the richest Arabs have said that it’s quite good. India would probably not mind solving the Kashmir issue, but for free.
One Kashmiri who needs money is Railways Minister Sh Rashid, who has been told by the Chief Justice of Pakistan he should resign because of the bad conditions of the Railways. Sh Rashid needs money to fix the Railways, though. I am reminded of a quote from Johan Donne: “Ask not for whom the bell tolls…” of which Sh Rashid is heard murmuring a Punjabi translation (Na puchho kiday wastay Talli wajda..), though none of the most appropriate people (those who died on the railways on his watch) complete: “It tolls for thee.”
Imran Khan is not having luck with the Waseem Akrams he picked. The Chief WA, Usman Buzdar himself, continues under criticism. Then there is Kaleem Imam, the IGP Sindh. The Sindh CM wants a new one. Kaleem Imam might end up sacked from his second IGP-ship in a year, after having been posted to Punjab under the caretakers, and posted out under Usman Buzdar. Having a Chief Minister named Usman should have meant an IGP named after someone else from the Bani Umayya, a Muawiya, a Yazid, a Marwan or an Abdul Malik, not a Kaleem Imam. But then, he should have got along with a CM who was a Shah, whether Qaim Ali or Murad Ali. But he too has objected and wants somebody who can handle law and order better. No doubt someone who can look after PPP MNAs and MPAs more politely.
And CBR Chairman Shabbar Zaidi has also gone off on indefinite medical leave. He didn’t show Imran the back of his head for a diagnosis. Perhaps he was in too much of a hurry, for he’s failed to meet the revenue targets set by the IMF, not even the revised ones. Still, not all is lost, for PM’s Finance Adviser Hafeez Sheikh is still around, while SBP Governor Raza Baqir isn’t going anywhere, with both having shown the backs of their heads to Imran and being declared fit for duty.
