Pictorial Editorial: Smiles of Hidden Pains

Pictorial Editorial : Smiles Of The Hidden Pain 

Asem Mustafa Awan: The smiles on their beaming faces is priceless as they are happy but does it change anything for them the answer is ‘no’. They have inadequate clothes for winter and they are without shoes and this is nearly in all the flood affected areas in Pakistan.
The promised ‘aid’ for the poor is believed to be spent while the truth of the matter is that it was seized before it reached the poor.
They are the descendants of the ones who have worked from dawn till dusk breaking their backs carrying loads of their masters who have ruled them for decades.
The masters and the owners of the land that are filthy rich have been blamed for sinking Dadu during floods last year and this is not uncommon, the powerful elite in Pakistan since long have used their influence to suck the life out of the poor.
The flood affectees named names as landlords who have been holding them hostage for generations destroyed everything that was built with their sweat and blood.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited Sita Village in Dadu a couple of days ago and the picture shows a very sad state of affairs.
The news made headlines not long ago when an officer of the court conducted a raid on the warehouse of a political bigwig in Sindh and recovered tents that were sent as shelter for the homeless while tents from UNHCR were used as carpet in Quetta during a political gathering.
This is a fact that over 33 million people have been affected by floods and the death toll is on the rise.
The change in weather has its own problems and these homeless people will face cold and hunger with disease following suit.
These poor residents of Pakistan have bone-crushing loans and as said by state officials that every new-born child in Pakistan owes money to international agencies.
The state should look closely and witness children surrounding the Foreign Minister and ask itself as who took loan on their name?

The answer to the question lies in the picture.

The writer is a journalist based in Islamabad and writes on a wide range of issues.

Photo Credit: APP