"Spending $200 billion"

 Dear Dawn, 

Regarding the column  "Spending $200 billion" (https://www.dawn.com/news/1920469?fbclid=IwY2xjawLR1k9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFJUnpCYlpLemUyZ1RWOWpnAR6Vob1-2XpXSp47rS5MSrYH-zrvPQT7jL1EDbJYYdf7wrqrH3aNXCNiK3hYHA_aem_JTWXt0EnXupZhXY7-MlFyg) by Zafar Mirza, Published June 27 2025   , these are my thoughts: 

It is really a badly misplaced and misguided column by Zafar Mirza, former Minister of Health, on Bill Gates' philanthropy which has received plenty of critique : top down bureaucratic approach, promotion of GMOs, total lack of support of local better solutions, self appointed God who will impose their own solutions and control and influence, etc. Please see Vandana Shiva’s critique of Bill Gates promotion of GMOs if nothing else. Philanthropy outside of own’s borders reinforces colonial structures and sets outside agendas. This much is basic!

In Zafar Mirza’s column there is no analysis or mention of the power and influence that that Bill Gates has assumed in African states which in itself is disturbing, Africa which suffers from the aid complex , European Neo colonial parasitic control, resource extraction and constant instability thanks to Western proxy wars and puppet governments. Why has Mr. Mirza written such a glowing column on a narcissistic Bill Gates?

As Zafar Mirza is a former Health Minister, he writes :

“ The Foundation’s contributions include among other things support for development and deployment of lifesaving vaccines for diseases like rotavirus pneumococcus and meningitis. The Foundation has also helped establish new models for procurement and funding like Gavi the Vaccine Alliance as well as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria. It played a catalytic role in global health research and innovation including through the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative. The list is very long.” This is written without any critique or details. Does the Foundation provide vaccines for free? Where are these offices located? In Africa or Europe or US? Who controls these organisations? What are these new models for procurement and funding? What is so great about them? As far as I know all the head offices are in the Global North !

Bill Gates’ own country needs money for the homeless, environment, from police brutality, etc. There are at least 770,000 homeless in the US which is probably an undercount. They have a health, education, poverty, drugs, poor infrastructure crisis not to mention proliferation of guns, school shootings, and police brutality. Philanthropists can devote their attention to their own societies. Health care is not free in the US and, without insurance, you don’t get any. Social media is littered with stories of how Americans crowd fund their own surgeries, health care, etc. We have been privy to stories of how expensive insulin shots are in the US without insurance. 

To write such a glowing column on private-island-owning Bill Gates who made his billions with monopolistic ruthless business tactics, just attended that other gazillionaire's wedding in Venice, Jeff Bezos is so severely misplaced! Jeff Bezos’ wedding has been heavily protested by locals, especially environmentalists.

There is such a backlash against the billionaire class especially in the US and India where they are manufactured with full support of the state. This column is so incredibly misplaced and badly written I wonder was it written as a satire?

Microsoft has been named as complicit in the genocide in Palestine. The American Tech Sector, and I quote:

enabled the collection, storage and governmental use of biometric data on Palestinians, “supporting Israel’s discriminatory permit regime”, the report said. Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon grant Israel “virtually government-wide access to their cloud and AI technologies”, enhancing its data processing and surveillance capacities. (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/1/un-report-lists-companies-complicit-in-israels-genocide-who-are-they)

As an end note, if Zafar Mirza is interested in writing about philanthropists, perhaps a column on how Hindu philanthropists contributed to Pre -Partition Pakistan would inspire Pakistani billionaires to do something great. 

Sincerely, Farzana Rasheed

If you missed this: Americans convinced NATO

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Snivelling Brits

Snivelling Brits are equating the genocidal IDF army with Jews in response to a rock punk band showing more moral conscience than the entire British political class. Let everyone be reminded that no Army in the world can be defended unless it's standing up to imperialism.

Amazed at bands Kneecap and Bob Vylan 's courage and political artistry

Amazed at bands Kneecap and Bob Vylan 's courage and political artistry at this moment of genocide. Can't believe the words "Death death to the IDF" and "they're murderous *ucking religious fanatics" and "the Palestinians have nowhere to go and it's their *ucking home and they're bombing them from the skies" were uttered against the rogue and criminal and genocidal Israeli regime. Kudos to these artists for speaking out, from the Imperial Core.

The chatter

Chatter is that Iran hopefully understands that the Ceasefire is a distraction while Israel is mercilessly bombing Gaza again, slaughtering children. The American military which is distributing food is full of chemicals and, the starving Palestinians are being massacred also like animals. Like how the white Europeans/Americans distributed infected blankets to Native Americans. Head chopper Jolani who has been put in Syria is bombing churches and will soon normalise relations with Israel and, give away Golan Heights officially. All the while , snivelling Europeans stand in full support of this slaughter and treachery.

More stuff

 

Stuff

 

After all this is all over

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Prime Minister of Canada

 Prime Minister of Canada Mark J Carney: he would not recognize a Palestinian state unless it was “Zionist.”

Wow, the West from Canada to Australia to every snivelling state in the European Union with exception of a few empty gestures has exposed itself for what it is over and over and over again.

Israelis seemingly wanted a distraction by bombing Iran

Israelis seemingly wanted a distraction by bombing Iran and murdering its military leadership and scientists from the massacre that is relentlessly ongoing in Gaza. And you still haven't spoken against it! You still haven't condemned it openly on this damn Facebook for others to know you are opposed to Israel and Western support for this genocidal apartheid regime.

The war is not over for Iran.

The war is not over for Iran. 1) Can't trust Israel or USA 2) is full of nest of Mossad vipers that are arrested every day 3) fighting within and abroad 3) the Palestinian struggle is not over 4) has no choice but to see this to the end and, 5) now an imperative to get nukes.

Bihari George Orwell

 

Iran attacks the biggest American base in Qatar

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Ben Gurion Airport struck. Tel Aviv, Ashdod, etc pounded.

Israelis trying to run like the rats they are out of the Promised Land while their Only-Democracy-in-the-Middle East government tries to stop them to stop a colony from being de populated.

Palestinians are still being massacred.

Iran rightfully calls the Americans “ terrorists" . Iran is the only country that has the balls to use the correct language for imperialism. WE used to take it as extreme epithets, e.g. American is Satan. But at the end of it, aren't they?