A father with an ashen face holds the limp body of his ten-month old child. A baby who was supposed to have all the time in the world to live, dream and be, is pronounced dead. All this on live TV.
I can hear his voice as he pleads with the VIP protocol who deny him and his child entry to the hospital. After waiting for what must have felt like an eternity, he is allowed to enter. His child is pronounced dead upon arrival.
Each time the hourly bulletin runs the footage of Bisma's desperate father seeking help for his daughter, I'm reminded that life is cheap in Pakistan.
Actually, my mistake; the lives of poor people are cheap.
Those of the ‘privileged’ and ‘entitled’ are very precious indeed.
Thank you Nisar Khuhro for outlining this so clearly for anyone who just didn't get it.
"Bilawal's security is more important [than 'collateral damage' i.e. the death of a baby]". Well said sir. I wonder if you would have said the same if it was your child, not Bisma. Would you still insist this was in national interest?
I hear the PPP’s media cell has issued a statement saying that a transparent inquiry would be conducted into the death and complete findings will be made public. It further states that anyone found responsible will be “taken to task”.
Is it just me, or does the feigned sincerity of those who rule rings a trifle hollow today?
Dear Bilawal, I understand you were not directly involved in Bisma's death. You weren't standing there preventing her father from entering the hospital.
But I do believe you know what is wrong here; it is the brazen, often horrifying, misplaced sense of entitlement that puts those who rule so far above those ruled. Taking your guards 'to task' is next to meaningless. I hope you understand this.
You may add Bisma to the long list linked to your name and those who hold power but don't know how to wield it.
This is not the first time that such an incident has occurred. And it will certainly not be the last.Hours after the death of a 10-month-old baby girl due to VVIP security protocol, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday said he is anguished over Bisma's death and is personally inquiring into this ‘heart breaking incident to ascertain what went wrong’.
Taking strong notice of the reports, he ordered the Sindh government for an impartial inquiry into the incident.The toddler died because of not getting prompt medical attention after her parents were stopped from entering Karachi’s Civil Hospital due to security restrictions set up for the PPP chairman, who was present there to inaugurate “Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Trauma Centre”.
The father, Faisal, said Bisma died after Bilawal’s security guards refused them entry to the hospital’s emergency ward for over an hour.
In a statement issued today, the PPP chairman said that a transparent inquiry should be conducted into the reported death and complete findings should be made public. He said anyone found responsible must be taken to task.
Earlier, senior PPP leader Nisar Khuhro said: “The most-dear to us is Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, as there have been several security concerns over his own and his family’s life”.
Khuhro said he was unaware of the incident.
“If there was security here, we put it in place keeping in mind Pakistan’s security, because Pakistan’s security lies in the security of (these leaders). I apologise if such an incident has occurred,” he said.
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