Well done, Mr President!

President Asif Ali Zardari has announced that he will donate all his body organs after his life. Instead of getting into a debate on whether he is the first president or the last to make such an announcement, he should be appreciated. The president must have read the quotation, “Don’t take your organs to heaven with you. Heaven knows we need them here.” Unfortunately, none from his coterie followed suit as some announcements were very much expected. Even the president’s remarks that Benazir Bhutto’s philosophy of living for others convinced him to make such a decision could not persuade his inner circle. At least we were expecting the same announcement from Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.  Apparently his core team left no stone unturned to prove their love and loyalty with the president. Instead of proving loyalty in a bizarre way, the best way is to follow the footsteps of the person whom you claim to love. I believe if the president appeals to his party workers to donate their organs, we can get rid of the menace of selling human body parts to needy persons.  If the rest of our leadership could set aside political point scoring and have the same stance over the issue, it would be a great service to humanity.  In developed countries like the US, people commonly donate their organs and the words ‘organ donor’ are even mentioned on their national identity cards, hence people respect them and doctors keep it in mind at the time of their death. If our politicians could reach a consensus over constitutional reforms or the Charter of Democracy to achieve their political goals, why could a consensus not be evolved for the service of humanity?  There are countless people lying in hospitals across the country, including those whose kidneys have failed or those who have not been blessed with eyesight since birth, but they could be able to see the light of the world if a person donates his eyes after his death.  Medical science has made several advancements in organ transplantation and such a move in a developing country would definitely make the whole world wonder the way it did when we recently gave the transvestites their rights as citizens of Pakistan. In fact, President Zardari has set a new trend for politicians. If the entire nation followed him, Pakistan could be the biggest bank of human organs, which would help several needy people. It could also save the lives of thousands of Pakistanis and help others to live better lives. Leaders like Mian Nawaz Sharif can also play their roles in convincing the Right-wingers to let such a thing happen in Pakistan, although many known religious scholars have already supported such moves.  If he could not follow the path of the president, he could at least urge his followers to come forward and contribute. We expect the same from Quaid-e-Tehreek Altaf Hussain and believe thousands of his followers will respond positively if he asked them. In Les Brown’s words, “Shoot for the moon. Even if

you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”