Faisal Vawda, the man of a million meme and our Minister of Water resources. He is a man of many talents, and I think he’d like us all to forget them. But that isn’t going to happen. So we decided to make a list of all the things he’d wish people like us would forget; The time we went to the Chinese consulate with his own gun
This is probably his most known moment. When the attack on the Chinese consulate happened, our Minister of Water Resources thought he should get his own gun and join the operation. While someone willing and ready to spring into action seems like a good thing, it wasn’t his job. There is a reason why we have a separation of powers and duties; it’s to prevent overstepping and ensure order. He may be trained to handle his gun, but Faisal is not a trained security agent. He was, in that moment, a civilian. He may be a civil officer, but not a real officer. And that was probably the most obvious when he put his gun inside his shirt! And that too with the cameras rolling! When he visited the LOC and took pictures
Okay, so I understand the want to be able to see an event like what happened when the Indian Plane was shot down. It’s exciting, in a weird way, to be part of something bigger. And yes, our army did a pretty good job. But to go all the way to the crash site, stand on the plane and get your picture taken with literally everything in sight! That’s a bit much. And it’s just another incident where Faisal inserted himself where he doesn’t belong. He had no need to be there, to make this a media circus, but he did. His properties
So part of why we decided to write this piece was because Faisal Vawda had been in the news lately. A journalist decided to out Faisal Vawda. Although his known sources of income were unknown except a loss-making small level construction company, the PTI’ federal minister nevertheless purchased as many as nine lucrative properties in highly expensive areas of London and chose not to declare them in Pakistan. Experts believe keeping in view the inflow and outflow of money in his tax record prove his alleged involvement in money laundering, assets beyond means and tax evasion. These are pretty serious offenses, and they aren’t the first time they’ve made headlines. Just after winning his seat, disqualification charges came up for not declaring his assets. He would go on to declare around 5 assets, but many suspect that he took advantage of the Tax amnesty scheme which turns money acquired illegally into legal money. These are pretty fishy things for a man who up until now just came of as that uncle who thinks he’s more important than he is. His yellow sports car
This is a little more lighthearted, but is linked to the previous point. At a PSL event, Faisal Vawda decided to enter in his expensive yellow sports car. I must say, what an entrance. But this type of spectacle was pretty new at that time. And give the allegations placed against him, that moment doesn’t have the same humour anymore. The state of water in Pakistan
Now I know you may be thinking that this is a little off topic; except he is literally the Minister of Water resources. Pakistan is going to have a bit of a problem soon. The water crisis in Pakistan has been named as the more critical danger to the nation than fear mongering, and tragically the previous had not possessed the capacity to stand out as truly newsworthy in either national or global media. As indicated by an ongoing report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Pakistan positions third on the planet among nations confronting intense water lack. Reports by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) likewise caution the experts that the South Asian nation will achieve outright water shortage by 2025. And it seems like Faisal Vawda, and his department, really don’t care if we know this.
My bigger question is what is he doing to solve these problems? What is he doing in his Ministry? I’m guessing nothing, or atleast nothing worth the media attention. Because if we have learnt anything about Faisal Vawda, it’s that he’ll make sure you know when he does anything. Just today, he help start the “self-employment” project, which is a good on paper, but again, not his job. Can he not doing something as positive in his own department?