Noor Fatima, a two-and-a-half year old girl child, is now back home after undergoing heart surgery at Banglore in India. On their return, parents of the child expressed their joy over successful treatment and ‘tremendous reception’ they received during their stay in India.
The highly publicised cardiac operation,
which is being seen and described by some sections as one of the symbols
of thaw between Pakistan and India, raises many questions. First of all,
we would like to congratulate family of the child and pray for her long
life. Apparently, there seems to be no harm if a family or an individual
decides to go abroad for medical treatment anywhere in the world including
India. Notwithstanding availability of certain facilities in Pakistan or
abroad, some people feel secure in a particular environment while many
others suffer from some kind of psychological problem. That is why, we
see that some well-to-do people prefer to get treatment of some ordinary
symptoms like influenza from London, Paris or New York. Similarly, the
parents of Noor Fatima might have their own reasons to wait for the bus
service to resume and seek admission of their girl in an Indian hospital.
However, the way the Indian Government, Indian media and their counterpart
on this side of the border, who, willingly or unconsciously, fall prey
to foreign inspired propaganda, gave specific twist to the event to suggest
that Indians were ahead of Pakistan in this particular branch of the medical
science. It is a bit humiliating as Pakistani heart surgeons and facilities
have established their reputation all over the world and their advice or
services are sought by American and European doctors while handling complicated
cases. Apart from counselling through modern means of telecommunications
like video and Internet, services of Pakistani heart surgeons are frequently
hired by foreign institutions. Dozens of successful heart operations are
performed daily in our local institutions, which is a confirmation of professional
skill and experience of Pakistani doctors. In this background, we fail
to understand why Pakistan provided an unnecessary opportunity to India
to present this incident in negative perspective, casting aspersions on
ability of our doctors and facilities available in different institutions.
India exploited the occasion to promote its business potential. This also
explains why New Delhi made the chivalrous offer of providing free of cost
treatment facilities to twenty Pakistani children every year. We hope that
the Government and people of Pakistan would not compromise national honour
and dignity and conduct themselves responsibly.