Saudi rice charity stirs controversy
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ISLAMABAD: Saudi rice charity for Pakistan following Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to the kingdom set off a new controversy as the distribution started on Tuesday.
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, a Saudi aid agency, had announced a couple of days back that it would provide 440 tonnes (19,032 bags) of rice under its Zakat al Fitr project for distribution in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
The aid is being distributed through the provincial governments among 114,192 recipients in nine districts — Lahore, Faisalabad, Sahiwal and Khanewal districts in Punjab, and Lakki Marwat, Tank, Bajaur, Lower Dir and Dera Ismail Khan districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The announcement of the charity consignment that immediately followed Mr Khan’s trip caused it to be linked to the visit. People, therefore, saw it as an outcome of what the government has been dubbing a highly successful visit.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, in a statement, said PM Khan achieved nothing except 19,000 bags of rice in charity from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the form of Fitra and Zakat.
“The price of rice bags got in charity is comparatively lesser than the expenses incurred on the tour to the kingdom by Imran Khan along with a couple of dozen of friends and ministers,” he added.
“Imran Khan became the prime minister after 22 years of struggle just to get rice sacks for an atomic power country?” the PPP chairman asked.
Others on Twitter lashed out at the government for getting charity from Saudi Arabia.
Talking to Dawn, prime minister’s special assistant Tahir Ashrafi said the charity was not new as the poor in Pakistan had been receiving it in the past as well.
However, he added, this time the Saudis, instead of giving it to individuals and groups, was distributing it in collaboration with the government.
He explained that the decision for this year’s distribution had been taken at least a month ago. He recalled that the same aid agency had a few weeks back sent supplies for Covid-19, but no one had then criticised it.
Mr Ashrafi said the critics were “a disappointed lot”.
Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2021
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Comments (44) Closed
May 12, 2021 08:31am
Let's get on with chairty and distribute to the poor and the needy people rather than making unjust noises to gain cheap publicity.
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May 12, 2021 08:38am
LIVING ON CHARITY - Saudi charity - the sweetest gift to the people of Naya Pakistan.
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May 12, 2021 08:49am
A new low. How many friends IK took on this official tour
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May 12, 2021 08:50am
How glorious . A desert country providing rice charity to a country with rivers and agriculture just because it's government is failing its own population on every front. This government seems to have made an economy out of charity, loan,aid and freebies from others.
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May 12, 2021 08:57am
@Dr Dummy, I wish sharifs will give something in charity instead...
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May 12, 2021 09:00am
A desert nation giving rice to a riverine nation
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May 12, 2021 09:00am
In what ever way the special assistant justifies, in short, it's a sorry state of affair.
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May 12, 2021 09:07am
Rice as Saudi charity ? Does rice grow in Saudi Arabia ? It grows in a water scarce land ? Wow, we need to embrace this technology. Or, was it the rice purchased from else where, and when it was not deemed fit for Saudi consumption, donated to Pakistan.
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May 12, 2021 09:24am
If you want to run this country on zakat and soft loans then please be ashamed at the grand lifestyles of government, ministers, generals . How can we afford such lifestyles at tax payers cost.
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May 12, 2021 09:30am
@Salman, well said.
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May 12, 2021 09:33am
In south asia, there are few common problems:
1. politicians
2. corruption
3. Never thinking about common man
As many countries split from same, this was gift of britishers to south asian countries.
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May 12, 2021 09:48am
Sad that how an incompetent govt in 2 to 3 years can ruin a country we use ti export food and now we are importing and getting it in the form of charity.PTI what have you done ti the nation.
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May 12, 2021 10:20am
@Zahid, A new low. How many friends IK took on this official tour
One tenth of what Nawaz Sharif and zardari took.
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May 12, 2021 10:21am
@Facts, How glorious . A desert country providing rice charity to a country with rivers and agriculture just because it's government is failing its own population on every front. This government seems to have made an economy out of charity, loan,aid and freebies from others.
Why stop countries giving charity to the poor and earning blessings.
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May 12, 2021 10:22am
@Lahori, A desert nation giving rice to a riverine nation.
Because of past misrule and corruption.
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May 12, 2021 10:46am
@Salman,
Ask Orya Maqbool, who claimed rice, spices, and meat + biryani all came from Arab to Subcontinent.
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May 12, 2021 10:49am
This is the Riyasat e Madinah. The concept is built on welfare. Hence IK is making people used to collecting charity and living a relaxed lifestyle where every necessity is provised to the people free of cost. Great leadership.
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May 12, 2021 10:52am
After failing in all their antics to dislodge him, the only thing corrupt losers can do is spin stories to try to belittle and discredit him. None of this will work on the Great Teflon Khan! He will continue to march ahead bulldozing and crushing these minions help up only by their implants in judiciary and bureaucracy!
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May 12, 2021 10:57am
Then y only for KPK and Punjab and not complete Pakistan? Since its individual charity being given since long system or practice in vogue should have been allowed to continue. Y this govt want to celebrate with all individual or group charities instead of focusing on its core functions.
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May 12, 2021 11:17am
Enough of charity...it would make people addicted to free food...create jobs and let people earn their living!
P.S. During IK's Saudi visit it was embarrassing on TV to watch his advisers with voluminous bellies having hard time to keep up with Ik and sit on ground to pray! Charity begins at home ...please reduce your intake of free food!
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May 12, 2021 11:33am
We are truly on the path of a true madina state.
Thank you and come again.
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May 12, 2021 11:52am
That may be correct. However who is to blame for publicizing it? PTI official made it appear his government achievement. Now face the music!!
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May 12, 2021 12:39pm
This is needed more in Thar where children are mal nutrition.
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May 12, 2021 12:40pm
This incompetent GOV is nothing but embarrassment ....
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May 12, 2021 12:46pm
The haters would comment on every thing and any thing. If two events happen together this does not mean if these are associated . Even if associated what is wrong with it? Pakistan indeed is a poor country which has been looted and poorly managed by incompetent and corrupt political leaders.
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May 12, 2021 12:48pm
It looks like the PM's assistant has been eating all the rice!
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May 12, 2021 03:21pm
Bhutto and Nawaz families are angry because they do not want poor people get food instead they want themself this charity like they have looted the wealth of this country for fifty years.
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May 12, 2021 05:18pm
@Salman, WIll buy Chinese Plastic Rice at the cost of Indian project to distribute as a charity to Ministers. PS: Poor people have plenty of food in villages and cities only riches are never satisfied
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May 12, 2021 05:21pm
@John, Very valid observation!
It would help if wearing of Awami suits (shalwaar Khameez) be prohibited in government offices in favor of pants; unlike belts, the Azaar baands (Naalas) have no holes or slots to gauge the growing bellies; hence people end up with large bellies in all domains of government services!
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May 12, 2021 05:57pm
@Farooq, Get rid of this poor mentality. Pakistan is a nuclear power, a major force in the world.
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May 12, 2021 05:59pm
Let’s calculate Imran Khan expenses combined with a single Nawaz or Zardari foreign trip. Why has this become so controversial?
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May 12, 2021 06:05pm
Well, in any case the Prime minister’s special assistant Tahir Ashraf looks very well fed, from the picture above!
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May 12, 2021 07:30pm
KSRelief distributes aid continously in Pakistan. But these news are never carried on Pakistan media becoz of obvious malaise toward them. In winter, KSRelief distributed blankets and other necessary items. Beginning of Ramadan they distributed thousands of food baskets. They did same with many other counties most notably this year Nepal. If you need more information on their operations just go to there website I'm assuming everybody knows how to Google.
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May 12, 2021 07:31pm
Thank you Saudi Arabia. People of Pakistan appreciate this at large despite a a few sarcastic and negative commenting politicians and their followers
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May 12, 2021 07:34pm
@Salman, the rice is purchased for Saudi government by local Pakistani touts in Punjab at exorbitant rates and then given back in supposed "charity ".
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May 12, 2021 07:36pm
Why isn't the rice also distributed in other parts of Pakistan like Sindh or Baluchistan? Maybe the Arabs consider these as separate countries or regions ?
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May 12, 2021 07:39pm
@Salman, no they don't grow rice in Saudia. But they do have ventures in Egypt and Sudan for staple food crops. Plus they buy, stock and control prices of all staple items in a public-private partnership. Saudia is not all desert. In lived in Riyadh middle of desert but also home to wadi hanifah. There are many similar wadis doted allover. Recent climate change is bringing more rains as well.
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May 12, 2021 07:59pm
Charity for poor is fine, but coming from KSA is a ashamed as a national heritage. There are numerous riches in Pakistan who can donate this food to poor Pakistanis. Look at Sharif's Zardaris and their cohorts - the can easily donate three or four times more bags than Saudis.
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May 12, 2021 08:09pm
Seems that the recent overseas trip didn't produce the much-needed economic bailout. The notion of being rewarded for furthering Afghan peace isn't working anymore. But bags of rice will thankfully reduce the self-induced food shortage. But time is running out, less than four months before the US pullout and war is certain if the Taliban aren't incentivized with regional transit trade to be peaceful. It's time to allow transit trade which could be the economic lifeline that saves the country.
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May 12, 2021 08:25pm
Let Zardari and Sharfoos distribute for free from their own pockets instead of stirring a storm in a cup.Needy donot care if it is Khairat or zakat or charity. They need to eat
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May 12, 2021 08:26pm
@Dr Dummy, Can you donate if not better be quite, this may not have a photo session with Mai Mariam Qatari
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May 12, 2021 08:48pm
It is a a very cheap dig by Bilawal Shows his immaturity and true character
Does he really thinks that IK went to beg for the rice? if so, one must seriously be worried about the state of his mind!!>
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May 12, 2021 08:52pm
@Salman, charity is charity no matter who gets
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May 13, 2021 05:13am
The good thing for Tahir Ashrafi is that he no longer gets pumelled by the PTI 'Bhonk Brigade' on social media for loyally serving the govt.
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