My elder brother is a Senior Medical Consultant in Henry Ford Medical Complex, Michigan, USA. His daughter has followed in his footsteps and qualified as a doctor, she is also on the staff. The Management Committee of the hospital has very proudly displayed their portraits in their lounge. He told me that the management of the hospital has told the Emergency that if a patient is brought in he or she should be treated immediately, irrespective of their colour, creed, race or nationality. They do not ask for any payment or particulars of medical insurance etc. Pakistan claims to be a Muslim country but has no humanitarianism practiced here.
Pakistan has seen many deaths, in floods, earthquakes but the eight persons, burnt alive in the cold storage of a private airline, was beyond any kind of cruelty imaginable. They kept shouting for help, but the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), ASF, Federal and Sindh Governments, private airlines involved and other civil authorities were busy arguing for more than 24 hours, as to whose responsibility it was to save these lives? Forget what impression we convey to the rest of the world. Imagine, it could have been anyone of us in a similar situation. What could have saved those people? Anyone of the above mentioned sections of the airport authorities, taking responsibility, would have saved those eight lives, but no one feels responsible even now. The blame game will start and go on until we all forget the incident. We, as a nation, ought to hang our heads in shame over the incident.
ANWAR KHALIL SHEIKH,
Lahore, June 15.