Talking to the anchorperson Shahzad Iqbal on his Current Affairs Program ‘Naya Pakistan’ on Geo News on April 1, 2022, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif remarked that “Beggars can’t be choosers”.
His remarks came when Shahzad Iqbal asked Shahbaz Sharif about Khawaja Asif’s comments that “We can’t exist without America as the US can destabilize Pakistan economically and we will be on our knees if the US takes any action against us.”
اگر خواجہ آصف کھلم کھلا یہ کہیں گے کہ پاکستانی معیشت امریکا سے چلتی ہے. امریکا کے بغیر گھٹنوں پر آجائیں گے تو پھر تعلقات برابری کہ سطح پر کیسے چلیں گے؟
بھکاریوں کی کوئی پسند نا پسند نہیں ہوتی. ہمیں اپنے لوگوں کا پیٹ پالنا ہے کسی سے جنگ نہیں کرنی،شہبازشریف pic.twitter.com/DvZDvR3oVy
— Shahzad Iqbal (@ShahzadIqbalGEO) April 1, 2022
Shahbaz Sharif’s words “Beggars can’t be choosers” is not realistic even. Will try to compile all reasons:
- Debt: Debt is always compared with total domestic production, Pakistan debt is 71% of GDP, USA own debt is 137.2%, Japan debt to GDP is 253%. Who is bigger begger?
Choosers will be beggars if the begging’s not their choosing (Garth Nix)
- Why we need IMF then? We have uncontrolled expenses, and very unplanned/uneven loan repayments without a good schedule, that’s only reason we continuously go back. Only solution to solve this is organizing our expenses and better planning but thinking of begging cants solve.
Give a beggar a dime and he’ll bless you. Give him a dollar and he’ll curse you for withholding the rest of your fortune. Poverty is a bag with a hole at the bottom (Anzia Yezierska)
- Why don’t we plan then? We are used to taking too much loans, exports stayed declining w.r.t GDP in PML-N tenure. If we focus on exports & minimize imports then we can come out but if one want to stay begger. Pakistan exports increased for first time in by 35% in PTI tenure & only way out.
Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn (Miguel De Cervantes)
- We have trade with west, we should take care? India/China, US/China trade numbers are very high! In most of the cases, they have direct confrontation but they continue to trade and trade stays independent if policy/media don’t mix them.
Poverty is not a vice…. But beggary is a vice (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
- There are sanctions too? Most of the sanctions are related to some issues not neutral foreign policy like Iran’s nuclear program, Russia Ukraine invasion. They need some story to convince the world for sanctions.
If we are neutral more world will stand for us not by begging.
No nation respects a beggar (Elijah Muhammad)
- Lastly!
Hadith: ‘Zubair Ibn ‘Awwam (رضی اللہ تعالی عنہ) relates that the Messenger of Allah (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) said, “It is far better for you to take your rope, go to the mountain, (cut some firewood) carry it on your back, and sell it and thereby save your face than begging from people whether they give you or refuse.” (Al-Bukhari, Riyad Al-Salihin n 539)
Courtesy: Twitter Handle of Economy of Pakistan @Pakistanomy
