Is Foreign Aid the answer?

Pakistan's High Commissioner to Britain Wajid Shamsul Hasan told the AFP news agency that 2,000 people had now been killed by the floods - previous estimates have put the number of dead at around 1,500.He said it would take at least five years for the country to recover, and put the reconstruction bill at "more than $10 to $15billion". BBC News.

Despite all the aid that is coming in Pakistan to help the flood affected areas, will Pakistan ever be able to recover this loss? Will the aid that is coming ever be utilized in the right manner? We have been receiving aid ever since we were born as a nation, but very few of it has been utilized. The rest just vanished without any account of it. Yes, in case of natural calamities or crisis situations, we need the aid, we need the help, however with a government like Pakistan , whose accountability is close to zero, is aid the best idea? It is as simple as this, once you know that someone else is going to pay for all your expenses for the rest of your life, you really do not want to bother working on yourself. The point I am trying to make is that aid has made us highly dependent on the west and because of that we have completely ignored our own development, if we knew that we wont get aid, the government will get money through taxes, by keeping an adequate check on tax payers. A checked progressive taxation system will be established and because everyone will be paying taxes, they would expect results from the government, hence the govt will be held accountable for all classes. 

The reason why I am criticizing international assistance is because in the last 50 years or so, we have gotten lots of aid and international loans which has only increased our deficit and class differences, the rich have gotten richer and the poor have gotten poorer. The real purpose of the aid or loan has hardly been ever achieved. 

Pakistan Floods

I wanted to make my first blog about something that really interests but right now, the only thing that comes in my head is the tragic situation of my country, Pakistan. As monsoon hit the nation in summer 2010, the country has drowned in a massive flood.The Pakistani government estimates that over 13 million people have been affected and according to the UN, the number of people affected are more than those affected in the Tsunami, Haiti or the Pakistani Earthquake. On turning the news channels we see images of people walking in water, leaving there homes behind, we see interviews with people who have lost all their possessions and in many cases lives of loved ones as well. They are yelling and shouting for help, for food, for water, for shelter. It is sad that this could have been avoided with proper planning and the constructions of more dams. If there were Dams, all this water could have turned into electricity. If there was proper planning, people would have made their houses and farms in safe areas. Most of the people had built establishments near the river and none of them were ever regulated. 
The only question that comes in my mind is where was the bureaucracy? This flood is proof is that since the last flood , there has been nothing done, absolutely no measures taken. Everyday its becoming even more difficult in understanding how this country works. All we can do is hope and pray that the flood victims are able to recover their loses.