Some professions are directly linked to injury, or early death. In the late 1960s a family friend was a squadron leader in the Pakistan Air Force. He used to fly surveillance missions in the Northern Areas - where the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush meet. The aircraft was a Twin-Engine Dakota (DC-3). I once asked him, "Bhai, the air is so rarefied at 20,000 feet, what will happen if one engine fails?" His reply was: "Curtains". One day he did not return from his mission. The plane wreckage and the body have never been found. Probably swallowed up by the glaciers. Blood Money.
The great hero of all Pakistanis, including mine, Muhammad Ali the boxer, earned Blood Money. His fight with George Foreman in Kinshasa was a strategic masterpiece. Ali out-foxed Foreman with his 'rope-a-dope'. He won the heavyweight crown back at the age of 33 - unheard of. But the greatest boxing match of all times was the "Thrilla in Manila". Ali and Joe Frazier squared off against one another. The score so far was 1:1. This was the decider. It was a grudge match. They both hated each other. From the first round, they were slaughtering each other. Ali was going for the head shots and landing regularly. Frazier came in low with the body shots. By the fourth round it was obvious this was not a normal fight. The crowd was shouting "Kill him, Kill him". The bookies in Las Vegas kept changing the odds after every round. In the 14th round, the referee stopped the fight, in Ali's favour. Frazier's face had been pounded to jelly. Ali's midriff had taken a barrage. After the fight, Ali was not prancing around, spouting poetry, as he usually did. He was slumped on a stool in his corner. A press reporter pushed his way through the crowd and asked Ali "How was it?". Ali managed to whisper into the mic: "It was worse than death". Blood Money.
F-1 Formula Racing is full of glamour. The million-dollar sponsorships, the beautiful women, the spray of the champagne at the end. Yet every second of the race is loaded with danger. One wrong move and you're gone. The great heroes of Formula 1 racing lived a charmed life - Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Senna, and the current lot. Michael Schumacher, the greatest of his time, is a vegetable, awaiting death. While skiing he had a serious accident. For 11 years he defied death on the circuit. Blood Money.
The soldiers of the Pakistan Army, NCOs and below, earn Blood Money. So do the officer cadre. The mandate of the Pak Army (and the two other forces) has transcended the normal line of duty. Fighting terrorism for the last 30 years has been a uniquely 'Pakistani' experience. No other army has been capable of this. The NATO foray into Afghanistan has been a costly failure - US$ 1.5 trillion and counting. The NATO soldiers are kitted out with $1500 worth of gear - latest rifles, night vision goggles, Kevlar under armor etc. The supply chain that sustains NATO includes Coca-Cola, Wrigley chewing gum, Hamburgers, Budweiser beer and other goodies. The 'Jawans' of the Pakistani Army are fitted out with a fairly basic gear (Thank God the old Royal Enfield rifle has been replaced). If necessary, they can survive on meager rations. They earn Blood Money.
The snapshot by the Dutch photographer showing the Vulture waiting in the background to devour a sick + starving refugee child (somewhere in Africa) says it all. The NATO crew in the support helicopter are shouting to the photographer to abandon the child and not to get too close to him (the child) as he might be carrying the virus of an incurable disease. This is not Blood Money - it's a rip off.
(The writer is the former Executive Director of the Management Association of Pakistan)