There is a proverb in Persian, Uzr-e-gunnah budtur azz gunnah ast, meaning an excuse for committing a sin is worse than the sin itself. The Quetta incident in which a woman gave birth to her baby in a rickshaw has been commented upon in the same fashion by both the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister Balochistan. Prime Minister said that women can give birth to children anywhere and, hence, the rickshaw incident is nothing special. The Chief Minister of Balochistan went a step further saying that instead of taking a rickshaw, the lady in question should have taken an ambulance. This comment by the CM raises two questions, one, could this lady, who happened to be very poor, afford hiring an ambulance? Two, could an ambulance broken through the impenetrable blockade for the VVIP motorcade to reach the hospital? The CMs comment is tantamount to the famous quote of the French queen who said if people cannot afford bread they should eat cakes. The observations made by the PM and CM remind one of the Mukhtaran Mai case. When this lady fought back and went to court after her rape, her voice reached every nook and corner of the globe. General Musharrafs comment at the time were; These ladies use rape for gaining international popularity. We have had some great leaders, no doubt. -MEHWESH DURRANI, Mastung, March1.