by Iqbal Tareen, Herndon, VA,
USA
The writer can be
reached at:
iqbal.tareen@gmail.com
November 12, 2008When I turned on GEO TV yesterday, I was
excited and proud to know that a Pakistani mayor, Syed Mustafa
Kamal was recognized as Number 2 best mayor of the world.
Usually I am little skeptical about such CLAIMS but when I saw
our Prime Minister issuing congratulations and the entire
Pakistani media celebrating this accomplishment I was filled
with joy and pride.
This evening after I was done with my work, I wanted to read
more about The Foreign Policy Magazine’s article on “The 2008
Global Cities Index”. I was shocked to see our city of Karachi
listed number 4th from the bottom on a list of 60 global cities.
Actually cities like Lagos in Nigeria and Dhaka in Bangladesh
beat us (Here is the link:
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4509&page=1
)
What really outraged me was a disclaimer by FP Magazine
Editors disputing claims made by Pakistani press, political
parties, and Government officials especially against the article
published in Pakistan’s #1 English newspaper Daily Dawn. I have
reproduced their disclaimer here for your information. You can
also go to
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/node/10285 to read it
for yourself.
Quickly my pride and excitement turned into a shame and an
outrage. It really doesn’t matter what political parties or
individuals claim in order to hit the jack pot of instant glory.
What turns my stomach is the lack of validation and process both
in government and in the Pakistani media. If Prime Minister of
Pakistan and Dawn want to restore their credibility some heads
must role who manipulated both rushing them to unconditional
recognitions and felicitations.
On a side note, I would encourage Karachi Mayor Syed Mustafa
Kamal to continue working hard to make a real difference in the
lives of millions of people who live under his domain of
responsibility. I am sure he is a hardworking and extremely
talented guy. But he has his plate full of so many challenges. I
wish him and many other mayors of Pakistan including the one
from my hometown Shikarpur, Sindh to win a real trophy one day.
We will pray for their success.
