As the government cannot stop from placing its international agenda at the forefront
KARACHI: The recent news about Pakistan donating PPEs to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) comes with much irony as one rarely witnesses a developing nation donating to a First World country. On Friday, the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, acknowledged Pakistan on Twitter claiming that the gesture of donating surgical masks and protective suits was a representation of the Pak-US solidarity in the fight against Covid-19.
Even though there hasn’t been much talk about this, Pakistan’s decision should evoke many questions as the healthcare situation within the country is already in a deplorable state. How can Pakistan decide to donate to a superpower so easily when thousands of frontline workers across the country lack PPEs? It is evident that even during the time of crisis, the government cannot stop from placing its international agenda at the forefront.
The leadership now faces a huge moral conundrum with two distinct options to choose from. They could either use private industries to help alleviate the myriad of problems that local industries and common civilians are facing in the wake of an unprecedented crisis or they could open up the export of PPEs and easily generate up to $1 billion which could considerably help the ailing economy. However, if the government is ready to put in the effort and think outside the box, they are more than capable of coming up with a plan that could hit both birds with one stone.
Rehman Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, May 23rd, 2020.
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