Redefining moments for the People of Pakistan

Pakistan’s economy is now at the lowest level in the last 60 years. Currency is lower than ever and below many 3rd world countries. During 2004 to 2007, GDP growth was between 5 to 8 percent. Since 2008 the GDP growth has continuously been decreasing. In 2007 inflation was 7.7 percent and now it is between 15 to 20 percent. Unemployment rate jumped to more than 15 percent. Corruption is setting new examples and the ministers in the government have broken all the past records of corruption and incompetence. Recently, Minister for Defence Production comes in the media and demands for equal opportunities in corruption to people of all the provinces of Pakistan. Law Minister uses vehicle of without registration number plate to go to the Parliament House. More than 50 parliamentarians have been found guilty of possessing fake degrees; list is going on and on. The entire country is under the waves of target killings. Drone attacks by US forces are killing civilians and soldiers inside Pakistan, alongside the western border of Pakistan.

Law and order has been in the hands of corrupt lawyers and judges. People are scared to go to the police station to register a case. Lawyers and Police are involved in bloody fighting on the streets of Lahore. Lawyers are blaming judges involved in corruption and vice versa.

The government has failed to deliver basic necessities like drinking water, power, food and safety to the people. Every day new and new cases of corruption are being unfolded by the media. Kidnapping and ransom is growing across the country. The feudal parliamentarians sitting in the government and in the opposition have no guilt on their wrong doings instead they defend their dirty deeds. Senior ministers and politicians appear on national televisions are seen abusing each other beyond the civic ethics.

When one fourth of the population of Pakistan was under the attack of the worst flood disaster and the victims were looking for urgent help, Pakistani President, Asif Ali Zardari, boarded a private Gulfstream Jet along with his family and his hundreds-large entourage to visit the European countries. And when millions of displaced people were looking for a shelter to survive President Zardari was staying in a Royal Suite of $12,000 per night. When flood victims in small towns were walking miles on feet in hours to just to find a safe place President Zardari and his coterie were chauffeured in a dozen of luxury vehicles on the streets of Europe promoting his son to be the next God Father of Pakistan.

Pakistan is begging to the world for $43 billion for the rebuilding & rehabilitation of the flood victims and on the other hand Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and his 25 cabinet ministers are found guilty of not paying a single penny of tax in the last five years. And the dilemma is that this Prime Minister claims to provide a fair and clean system to the country. Further cruelty is that his wife Fauzia Gilani waived a loan of Rs. 38 million from National Bank of Pakistan which was given to her a company in partnership – Pak Green Fertiliser (PGFL). It is a shame that a country where more than 60 percent is agriculture and the landlords don’t pay any tax. The only tax-payer in Pakistan is poor salary-persons or small business owners. The big industrialist like Nawaz Sharif pays couple of thousands rupees as income tax.

The leaders of two main political parties Pakistan People Party (PPP) which is the ruling party and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz Group) (PML(N)) which is in the opposition but ruling the largest province of Punjab have proven to be failures to deliver anything to the nation except more anarchy in the country in the last 2 ½ years. These incompetent so-called political leaders are leading Pakistan towards the total bankruptcy yet the western powers are continuously supporting them on the name of democracy. Why? The answer is very simple, this government is serving the western agenda to further destabilise Pakistan so that reasons can be created to unarm Pakistan from the nuclear arsenals. According to many western reports the foreign agencies are already operating in Pakistan. No wonder, these agencies would have already targeted Pakistan’s nuclear sites to control.

On the other hand, the leaders in the government including President and the Prime Minister are frightening people by contending that Pakistan would be disintegrated if they would be thrown out from the government. They have promoted provincialism and created divisions among the nation in the last 2 years. Most of these feudal-cum-politicians sitting in the parliament hold dual nationalities. Their families are already living a lavish life in the western countries. They maintain billions of dollars in the foreign banks. Therefore, they will spend no time in Pakistan if they find no further benefits in the country.

Then, the fanatics, on the name of religion, are consistently spreading sectarianism in the country. Uncountable sectarian target killings incidents occurred in the country in the last 2 years. Before Pakistan was blamed by the west running the training camps of terrorists and now the entire country is treating as a war zone. Pakistan army has been engaged in the battle at the western border with foreign forces against the war which has nothing to do with Pakistan.

This is what the Pakistan has received in the last 2 ½ years of so-called democracy. The democracy that is made-up of politicians who are basically feudal of Sind, landlords of Punjab and tribal leaders of Baluchistan and Pakhtoon Khuwa provinces. These so-called politicians rule more than 60 percent constituencies of Pakistan. That is why more than 60 percent parliamentarians are the landlords, tribal leaders and industrialists. What can you achieve in this shameful democracy where landlords are representing the farmers in the parliament and big industrialists representing the labour force of Pakistan?

The tale of Pakistan’s limited so-called democratic system also shows that these so-called political leaders, time and again, just to be in power, please army generals. Many political leaders including Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif flourished their political career in the army rule.

How can anyone expect the fair and wellbeing democratic system in Pakistan when the drivers of this democracy are the running by century old tribal and jrga system in their own territories? Yet, this ignominious democracy in Pakistan suits to the western powers same like monarchism suit to them in the Middle East. History shows that these tribal leaders and feudal of Sind, Punjab, Balochistan and then Northern Frontier Province joined Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s Muslim league not to support the ideology of Muslims of India but to protect their lands and tribal system. They were frightened of land reform to be implemented in then united India. That is why these tribal leaders and feudal never promoted Pakistan’s vision nor build up nationalism in Pakistan. These are the cancer of Pakistan which has now been spread in the entire body of Pakistan. These landlords will never support any land reform in Pakistan. President Zardari recently while addressing a public meeting in Badin (town of Sind) boldly said ‘those who talk about feudal system are actually political orphans; democracy knows how to defend itself’. One can read his feudalistic mentality. These were the reason of Pakistan split in 1971. And if Pakistan breaks further it will not effect to these tribal leaders, feudal and landlords. They will continue to rule their territories by licking the shoes of their western masters.

This is the redefining moments for the people of Pakistan. Now, the time has come for the people of Sind, Baluchistan, Punjab and Pakhtoon Khuwa, to decide whether they want a Pakistan of Mohammed Ali Jinnah or a Pakistan of Banana Republic of the tribes of Sind, Baluchistan, Punjab and Pakhtoon Khuwa.

Pakistan was an ideology of a State where every citizen of Pakistan would have the freedom of basic rights, religious liberty, justice, equal opportunities and freedom of speech. Pakistan was a need for the Muslims of India to create a State where they can freely practice their religion and also respect the faith of the others. Unfortunately, after the death of the founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, in 1948 (only one year after the creation of Pakistan), those who joined Jinnah to secure their own fate took over the control of Pakistan. In the last 60 years, what have they done – built foreign banks accounts, properties and dual nationalities.

Today, regrettably and painfully I have to say that idea of Pakistan was dead with the unfortunate demise of the founder of Pakistan Mohammed Ali Jinnah in 1948. Since then the army, bureaucrats, tribal leaders, feudal and landlord treat Pakistan as an opportunity to secure themselves rather than the people of Pakistan.

This is the time when the people of all the four provinces have to decide whether they want to be freed from aristocratic system of tribalism, feudalism and fanaticism or they want to remain the slave of their tribal leaders, feudal and landlords?

If the people of four provinces want to see a respectful and safe future of their next generation then they have to stand-up against these looters. If they want to see Pakistan continue to exist then they have to capture these so-called leaders before they fly from the country. The people have to bring those in the leadership role who should show loyalty to the Jinnah’s Pakistan.

(The writer is Sydney-based journalist and educationist, his website is www.sauhassan.com )

Concluded on 8-10-2010

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