My beloved country is in dire straits.

The love of one’s country is the greatest virtue of a civilized man”. This is a famous quote uttered by Napoleon Bonaparte. I fully concur with this very saying of the great general, for I consider myself insignificant without my country. From the very outset, I was ordained to think about doing something substantial for Pakistan; I have obeyed those orders, and will continue to do so till the very end. The patriotism that has been inculcated in me has made it difficult to digest the current state of the country. Hence, there are various things that annoy me about the current situation of Pakistan.
The first phenomenon that really pinches me is Pakistan’s abysmal economic growth which is currently at 2.4 % according to the latest economic survey of Pakistan. Indeed, this is disappointing and not something to boast about, for the country is endowed with all the resources that one can ask for, be it copper, gold or other minerals, not to forget our talented population. I get more frustrated when I compare this growth with the past; the previous economic surveys showed an average growth rate of 7% from 2004 to 2008; this was certainly a robust growth rate. The most important reason that makes this situation worrisome is the fact that India, our perennial enemy is the 4th largest economy in the world; the CIA World Fact book bears testimony to her position. Hence, it is a cause of concern for diehards like me, for this rate is way beyond our capability, and that our neighbor has taken the lead in this regard.

The second thing that frets me is that personal-equation has become the criterion for getting pivotal positions in the cabinet, state corporations and other important places. In essence, nepotism is being preferred over meritocracy. There are numerous examples; the minister for petroleum who is basically a surgeon, is nothing, but a friend of Mr. Zardari. Instead of giving examples, it is imperative to explain that these kinds of appointments which do not take merit into account, are ruinous. Firstly, this is really annoying because we have talented and competent people who are being wasted; they can deliver the results, but they just don’t have political connections. Secondly, we are all seeing that the institution which were considered as the pride of the nation, to include PIA, Railways and others have all gone to dogs; in fact they are on the cusp of closure. Last but not the least, these failures have a direct bearing on the common population. Indeed, nepotism is annoying, for it has ruined our essential institutions.
Perhaps, the most agonizing scenario in Pakistan is the curse of corruption; this has really crippled us. For me to say that corruption annoys me would not tell the magnitude of this epidemic, so to speak. Firstly, corruption contributes heavily in poverty and inflation. Secondly, it has stalled our growth. Lastly, it has made life miserable for those who are away from this nuisance, for I believe that the virtual bankruptcy of the above-mentioned corporation is owed to corruption. So it can be concluded that corruption in Pakistan really pesters me.
To sum up, the dwindling economy of the country; the rampant corruption and installing   favorites on critical positions is what really annoys me, for all these things are a bane for Pakistan.

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