THE former US Vice-President, Joe Biden, has revealed that President Barack Obama offered financial help for the treatment of his ailing son Beau Biden, advising him not to sell his house for the treatment.

America is a great country because of great presidents, vice presidents, cabinet, government servants, and the people of integrity, honesty and honour.

Because of honesty of its leaders, today the US stands proudly as the only super power in the world. Salute to the US traditions for it is because of these magnificent values America has become one of the greatest countries.

While discussing the greatness of some American leaders our TV anchors and talk shows participants forget that Pakistan too had great leaders. One example is that of our first prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan, who, when he died, he had almost nothing in his bank account. The man was a nawab with a vast property left in India. He even gifted his house in Delhi to the Pakistan government instead of filing a claim of that priced building. Even today the Pakistan high commission works at the same house.

Following in her husband’s footsteps, Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan donated a castle in the Netherlands to Pakistan which was gifted to her by the Dutch queen who got defeated in a game of chess when Ra’ana Liaquat was Pakistan’s ambassador in the Netherlands.

She spent her whole life in a rented house, although at one time she was Sindh governor. Liaquat Ali Khan’s sons are little known in the country. Despite being from the nawab family of Karnal, they never thought of accumulating wealth.

There are many such examples among the early leaders of Pakistan, who never used the taxpayers’ money for their personal use or for the medical treatment of their family. The late prime minister Chaudhry Mohamed Ali not only purchased the air ticket of his ailing wife but got her medical treatment out of his own pocket.

In 1999, in the first cabinet of retired general Pervez Musharraf, almost all the ministers were of great integrity and had self-respect. For example, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Production Razzaq Dawood would travel on official assignments with his travel expenses being taken care of by his own industrial organisation.

Our media should highlight such great personalities and let the new generation know their stories.

Name withheld on request

Lahore

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2017