Dr. Umar Khan
khanmomar@gmail.com
Dr. Umar Khan heads a Lahore based think tank
Routine loss of Pakistani lives
A loaded truck was traveling on Raiwind road, a major suburban road of Lahore early in the morning while the children were getting ready for schools. Suddenly some mechanical part of the truck broke and it went out of control. It crushed two young students waiting for school bus and then trampled a school going car killing six children. Pakistan lost another six wonderful talented citizens. This was not an isolated incidence rather a routine and such tragedies have become small news as nearly the same thing happened in Karachi a few days later. Loss of young lives is a big tragedy but not responding to them as a nation and taking actions to avoid future calamities might be an even greater tragedy.
Accidents happen everywhere in the world and lessons are learnt. Causes are investigated and identified and remedies sort to make sure innocent lives are saved. But we don’t seem to be interested in learning from our mistakes or disasters thus repeating those causing even further pains. I did not hear of any investigation ordered about this tragedy.
This, like all tragedies happened because many failures happened simultaneously.
After the recent heavy monsoons lack of drainage resulted in prolonged flooding of roads. As bitumen roads get destroyed by longstanding problems many of our roads have become a blend of potholes making driving a scary experience. At the accident site there was a dangerous pothole where I personally saw many cars broken. The question arises that if we build roads without drainage why we have to build bitumen roads and not the concrete roads which can tolerate water better. It might be more expensive but cheaper than repeated repairs or rebuilds that we have to do. And certainly much cheaper than the cost of losing precious lives. If we cannot rebuild the roads swiftly we can at least fill the potholes.
Then we must ascertain if the truck was mechanically fir to be on the road? Did it have the fitness certificate? It is well known that acquisition of the fitness certificate has less to do with the fitness of the vehicle and more to do with other unrelated factors. If the truck had acquired the fitness certificate wrongly then the workshop must be held responsible.
Our traffic police seem to be more interested in checking motorcycles and papers of vehicles while traffic rules take the back seat. Driver’s license, its validity and acquisition might help us understand the cause.
In the civilized world the state considers it its responsibility to look after its young. Our children should not wait for their school transport on a busy highway without and protection. Had there been a proper bus stand lives might have been saved. We saw some pretty looking bus stands being built a few years back but now that seems to have been ignored again. We must start making life easier for commuters by providing them a decent way to wait for their transport by building proper bus stops.
We owe it to the victims that we find the cause of the accident and remedy it so that such tragedies are not repeated. Whether it was the driver, the transport company, the inspection people or the government agencies looking after the roads the culprits must be identified and forced to pay for their negligence. After all many lives were lost and it was criminal negligence or involuntary manslaughter to say the least. We must make sure such dangerous things do not go unchecked and everyone must realize that they will be held accountable for the effects of their actions or deeds. We keep on repeating that our people are our most valuable assets but fail to act accordingly. Life seems to be the most inexpensive commodity in Pakistan which can be wasted with impunity.
Six people have died for others fault and six families have been devastated. Six humans, Muslims and Pakistanis. Lives cannot return but by making the people responsible for the accident pay can certainly help. In this endeavor we must finish the immunity of the government sector and make them pay for their failures. Certainty of accountability can make people and the inefficient public sector departments more responsible making our people safer. We can only pray for the innocent souls that departed too early. May Allah give them jannat and sense to the people responsible for it.
10-10-06
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Houses for government officials
Houses for government officials
The Punjab Chief Minister has announced a scheme of houses for the government officials at retirement. This scheme has been widely appreciated and the newspapers are full of praise for the CM. Probably this scheme was inspired by the highly popular similar scheme for the military officers and would certainly be followed by other provinces. It is always nice to see someone getting his own house as it is a basic right, but should we apply this selectively and that also for the benefit of an already pampered group? Is it only the right of the government officials and not others? Who will pay for this generosity? Before joining the chorus of appreciation these questions must be considered.
The bill for this good deed will once again fall upon the most exploited class, the poor taxpayer. Apart from the less than 1% privileged class of big businessmen and landholders this class mostly consists of the downtrodden. Most of the ordinary Pakistanis who are expected to pay this bill cannot arrange for basic education and health facilities for their children. Most of them do not enjoy the basic amenities of life considered needs. This group should not be burdened anymore as it is unable to generate more resources for someone else’s privileges.
The government officials of any type are the privileged people of this society for the following reasons,
They enjoy a secure job whereas in the private sector the employers can fire any employee due to his whims. In the public sector many people are known to be getting salaries without ever doing anything. No such luxury for the private sector employees.
At the time of retirement they usually get a lump sump amount to settle themselves and their families. No such privilege for the privately employed people.
The public sector people are relatively immune to the biggest tyrant, the state. The police or WAPDA or any other govt institution known for making life tough for the Pakistanis, is must softer on their brethren in government.
And then there are many unofficial privileges like license to corruption.
In the private sector the employees are always on their tows. The public sector workers have no idea of efficiency the private sector demands. They do not enjoy any perks or facilities and do not expect many retirement benefits. Still they are expected to pay for the already privileged.
According to the informed neutral observers the state of Pakistan is over grown and bloated. Whether we see the cars on the road or houses, we find the state living lavishly beyond its means at the expense of the taxpayers. Even the few privileged outside the state usually have strong connections with the state in form of close relations. Because of its ever-increasing size, it requires more and more resources for itself leaving nothing for its actual duty, welfare of the people. In the days of the oppressive colonial powers an average citizen was more likely to get his children educated or medical care at government hospitals and his access to justice was much easier. Now the funds for the people (taxpayers) have shrunk to the extent that philanthropic institutions supply food in the government hospitals. This is admirable for the philanthropists but a shame for the state. Government schools are in shambles and justice has become nearly inaccessible for the ordinary people.
Should the state first provide the basic needs of education and health for its needy or houses and other expensive facilities for its functionaries?
For every privilege there must be a reason. Every one must earn his privilege. Did any of our state institutions ever do any thing worth mentioning to deserve this generosity at the expense of the poor taxpayer? Have they started behaving as civil servants not masters? Are they efficient? Do they have any concept of cost effectiveness? Have they stopped the corrupt practices? Have they stopped scaring off the investors? Did they bring any improvement in the society at all? Unfortunately the answer to all these questions is in negative. So it seems that they would again be rewarded not for their contributions but for their power to create nuisance. No government can take on the civil servants as a class; their privileges have to be protected at all costs. Even at the cost of their masters, the taxpayers. When will we start protecting the interests of the helpless taxpayers?
This over pampering of the government functionaries has created a grave social problem. There are those who have managed to enter the govt service regardless of the means employed, and those who have not. Their difference in socio economic status and privileges is so enormous that every concerned parent tends to use all his influence and resources to join the group. Whichever elected official we visit we find that the most popular demand is of govt service. It is quite understandable as these jobs are much more lucrative and easy. In contrast the civilized world the private sector jobs that are much better rewarded.
The government servants do need facilities and peace of mind but they are not the only ones needing this. Today Pakistan has over 6 million govt servants (serving and retired) and no nation can look after so many people. If we really want to do something for the civil servants, we must reduce their number to reasonable limits first. Then they must be given clearly spelled assignments and monitored very closely, preferably by the people’s participation. If the civil servants perform their duties well and serve the interests of the people then yes, they should be rewarded. These rewards should not be limited to houses alone. They should be able to live a decent life and a good future for their progeny should be ensured. In such a scenario the taxpayers would not have any problem giving these extra benefits out of its coffers.
No country can solve the unemployment problem by employing everyone. USSR, potentially the richest country in the world, tried this and collapsed. We should never lose sight of the truth that govt funds do not come from heavens, rather it is the poor taxpayers country that pays. For this we should make life easier for the private investors and maybe reward them for employing people as they pay taxes with which the government employees salaries and perks are financed. The greatest reward according to most investors would be of saving them from the over grown and unscrupulous government departments. Efforts should be made to protect the interests of the private employees and the employers. Unfortunately if this is done by the state machinery we know of, it would further hamper the interests of businesses and create another opening for corruption.
Welfare of the government officials is considered important everywhere in the world as this enables them to serve the public more efficiently. In Pakistan we remember the first point but tend to lose sight of the actual task, public service. This has resulted in formation of a powerful interest group guarding its interests at all costs leaving the helpless taxpayers defenseless. These groups usually employ powerful and emotional stories of sufferings of honest civil servants to justify their ever-increasing privileges. Interestingly the suffering government officials join the service of their own choice usually after lots of effort. If the life is really so miserable for them why don’t they quit these jobs? Why people are ready to get into this privileged group at ant cost.
We have created a strange culture in Pakistan. This culture respects the spenders of taxes and ignores the taxpayer. Protects the rights of the privileged and ignores the rights of the downtrodden and deserving. Ensures the benefits of the service provider’s but ignores the service. This is because our people have rarely enjoyed power and are considered inconsequential as far as the running of the state is considered. As the government officials are considered more important for bringing or keeping someone in power, the rulers naturally obliges them over the taxpayers. Our Punjab CM is an elected person and he is expected to protect his constituency, the people or taxpayers. He should not lose sight of his primary duty, welfare of the people rather than the officials. If he has found new resources, he must correct his priorities and first provide basic facilities to his voters namely universal education and health facilities. We are spending the lowest in the world on these fields and naturally have the worst facilities available in the public sector. Once this is achieved he can later consider spending the extra resources on welfare of the officials. The solution to our problems is not in making the government sector jobs more attractive rather in reduction of the gap between the public and private sector jobs.
The Punjab Chief Minister has announced a scheme of houses for the government officials at retirement. This scheme has been widely appreciated and the newspapers are full of praise for the CM. Probably this scheme was inspired by the highly popular similar scheme for the military officers and would certainly be followed by other provinces. It is always nice to see someone getting his own house as it is a basic right, but should we apply this selectively and that also for the benefit of an already pampered group? Is it only the right of the government officials and not others? Who will pay for this generosity? Before joining the chorus of appreciation these questions must be considered.
The bill for this good deed will once again fall upon the most exploited class, the poor taxpayer. Apart from the less than 1% privileged class of big businessmen and landholders this class mostly consists of the downtrodden. Most of the ordinary Pakistanis who are expected to pay this bill cannot arrange for basic education and health facilities for their children. Most of them do not enjoy the basic amenities of life considered needs. This group should not be burdened anymore as it is unable to generate more resources for someone else’s privileges.
The government officials of any type are the privileged people of this society for the following reasons,
They enjoy a secure job whereas in the private sector the employers can fire any employee due to his whims. In the public sector many people are known to be getting salaries without ever doing anything. No such luxury for the private sector employees.
At the time of retirement they usually get a lump sump amount to settle themselves and their families. No such privilege for the privately employed people.
The public sector people are relatively immune to the biggest tyrant, the state. The police or WAPDA or any other govt institution known for making life tough for the Pakistanis, is must softer on their brethren in government.
And then there are many unofficial privileges like license to corruption.
In the private sector the employees are always on their tows. The public sector workers have no idea of efficiency the private sector demands. They do not enjoy any perks or facilities and do not expect many retirement benefits. Still they are expected to pay for the already privileged.
According to the informed neutral observers the state of Pakistan is over grown and bloated. Whether we see the cars on the road or houses, we find the state living lavishly beyond its means at the expense of the taxpayers. Even the few privileged outside the state usually have strong connections with the state in form of close relations. Because of its ever-increasing size, it requires more and more resources for itself leaving nothing for its actual duty, welfare of the people. In the days of the oppressive colonial powers an average citizen was more likely to get his children educated or medical care at government hospitals and his access to justice was much easier. Now the funds for the people (taxpayers) have shrunk to the extent that philanthropic institutions supply food in the government hospitals. This is admirable for the philanthropists but a shame for the state. Government schools are in shambles and justice has become nearly inaccessible for the ordinary people.
Should the state first provide the basic needs of education and health for its needy or houses and other expensive facilities for its functionaries?
For every privilege there must be a reason. Every one must earn his privilege. Did any of our state institutions ever do any thing worth mentioning to deserve this generosity at the expense of the poor taxpayer? Have they started behaving as civil servants not masters? Are they efficient? Do they have any concept of cost effectiveness? Have they stopped the corrupt practices? Have they stopped scaring off the investors? Did they bring any improvement in the society at all? Unfortunately the answer to all these questions is in negative. So it seems that they would again be rewarded not for their contributions but for their power to create nuisance. No government can take on the civil servants as a class; their privileges have to be protected at all costs. Even at the cost of their masters, the taxpayers. When will we start protecting the interests of the helpless taxpayers?
This over pampering of the government functionaries has created a grave social problem. There are those who have managed to enter the govt service regardless of the means employed, and those who have not. Their difference in socio economic status and privileges is so enormous that every concerned parent tends to use all his influence and resources to join the group. Whichever elected official we visit we find that the most popular demand is of govt service. It is quite understandable as these jobs are much more lucrative and easy. In contrast the civilized world the private sector jobs that are much better rewarded.
The government servants do need facilities and peace of mind but they are not the only ones needing this. Today Pakistan has over 6 million govt servants (serving and retired) and no nation can look after so many people. If we really want to do something for the civil servants, we must reduce their number to reasonable limits first. Then they must be given clearly spelled assignments and monitored very closely, preferably by the people’s participation. If the civil servants perform their duties well and serve the interests of the people then yes, they should be rewarded. These rewards should not be limited to houses alone. They should be able to live a decent life and a good future for their progeny should be ensured. In such a scenario the taxpayers would not have any problem giving these extra benefits out of its coffers.
No country can solve the unemployment problem by employing everyone. USSR, potentially the richest country in the world, tried this and collapsed. We should never lose sight of the truth that govt funds do not come from heavens, rather it is the poor taxpayers country that pays. For this we should make life easier for the private investors and maybe reward them for employing people as they pay taxes with which the government employees salaries and perks are financed. The greatest reward according to most investors would be of saving them from the over grown and unscrupulous government departments. Efforts should be made to protect the interests of the private employees and the employers. Unfortunately if this is done by the state machinery we know of, it would further hamper the interests of businesses and create another opening for corruption.
Welfare of the government officials is considered important everywhere in the world as this enables them to serve the public more efficiently. In Pakistan we remember the first point but tend to lose sight of the actual task, public service. This has resulted in formation of a powerful interest group guarding its interests at all costs leaving the helpless taxpayers defenseless. These groups usually employ powerful and emotional stories of sufferings of honest civil servants to justify their ever-increasing privileges. Interestingly the suffering government officials join the service of their own choice usually after lots of effort. If the life is really so miserable for them why don’t they quit these jobs? Why people are ready to get into this privileged group at ant cost.
We have created a strange culture in Pakistan. This culture respects the spenders of taxes and ignores the taxpayer. Protects the rights of the privileged and ignores the rights of the downtrodden and deserving. Ensures the benefits of the service provider’s but ignores the service. This is because our people have rarely enjoyed power and are considered inconsequential as far as the running of the state is considered. As the government officials are considered more important for bringing or keeping someone in power, the rulers naturally obliges them over the taxpayers. Our Punjab CM is an elected person and he is expected to protect his constituency, the people or taxpayers. He should not lose sight of his primary duty, welfare of the people rather than the officials. If he has found new resources, he must correct his priorities and first provide basic facilities to his voters namely universal education and health facilities. We are spending the lowest in the world on these fields and naturally have the worst facilities available in the public sector. Once this is achieved he can later consider spending the extra resources on welfare of the officials. The solution to our problems is not in making the government sector jobs more attractive rather in reduction of the gap between the public and private sector jobs.
Rule of law and price hike
Dr. Umar Khan
khanmomar@yahoo.com
Dr. Khan heads a Lahore based Think Tank.
22-5-08
Rule of law and the price hike
Certain segments of our society are astonished at the preoccupation of many with the judiciary issue despite the soaring price of wheat and other basic problems. They argue that the uncontrolled price hike has made basic necessities inaccessible for our majority and must be addressed first because it is more important than the judge’s issue. Severe power shortage, poverty, inflation, terrorism, law and order and host of other problems are being ignored due to the attention diverted towards the deposed judges issue. This line of argument construes that the judge’s issue is a theoretical one creating hurdles in the solution of other more pressing problems, so it must be avoided or sidelined until the other more important concerns are adequately addressed. This line of reasoning is not only wrong but also extremely dangerous. Rule of law needs an independent and potent judiciary and has a very direct and strong effect on all the problems facing the nation including the availability of basic food items and the price hike. The strength of the rule of law is symbolized by the reinstatement of the judiciary deposed illegally by a single person.
Without repeating the popular argument that restoration of the judges does not stop the administrative processes needed to solve these problems I would like to focus on the neglected but important ones. The international factors affecting inflation are beyond our immediate means but the most important local cause of price hike and inflation is bad or irresponsible government. This can show itself in many ways like
a. Unaccountable dictatorial governments tend to get into irresponsible spending sprees. The import of many Mercedes cars by the x PM Shaukat Aziz and the innumerable lavish foreign trips with hundreds of sycophants at the expense of the national exchequer played a major role in creating the problems we are facing today. If they still go unchecked, the problems will worsen and a dynamic judiciary is an effective defense against it.
b. Corruption, which is a direct attack on the national exchequer, is another major cause of economic mess that can deteriorate the conditions of ordinary people. The recent attempt by the government to sell the steel mill at a ridiculously low price is a blatant example of this. Understandably the courts intervention protecting the nation’s assets became an unpardonable offence.
c. Wrong priorities either due to ineptness or dubious petty self-interests causes major wastage of national resources. They can cause diverse problems like wheat, sugar shortages or poverty and unemployment in the long run. A bird’s eye view of Pakistan’s budget showing Education allocation of less than 2% and health at less than 1% clearly proves that something terrible is going on with our messed up priorities.
d. Cartelization of the basic commodities occurs only with the consent or connivance of the government causing havoc with the prices. In Pakistan we see cartels of basic commodities like flour, sugar, cement etc operating and fixing prices openly without any fear of accountability or reprisal. In other countries where the rights of ordinary people are protected they would risk getting severely punished for price fixing but not here. Islam is the only religion in the world that categorically condemns the practice of hoarding for profits but still it is tolerated in the only country made in the name of Islam. In the process many lives are ruined but some wallets are exceedingly inflated. An active judiciary is the most effective protection against it.
All this happens when there is insufficient unaccountability of the government or rulers allowing them to act irresponsibly. In democracies the public opinion performs the accountability functions with the help of the judiciary, but in the unfortunate countries like ours where martial laws are rampant the judiciary has to do it alone. This very well explains Gen Musharraf’s government’s extreme annoyance with the courts trying to act independently, something never witnessed before. He finally considered it imperative for his aims to discard the constitution along with the judiciary challenging his unabated powers. Dictatorial governments can’t afford independent judges so the entire senior judiciary was arrested by a general; a very dark part of our pathetic history.
Prosperity needs a good economy that creates wealth and jobs. This in turn requires investments, both local and foreign, which only flows towards countries enjoying certainty and stability. Stability needs rule of law, not the law made by a certain individual but the written and accepted law, which is protected and implemented by a strong and independent judiciary. The execution of laws is more important than making of laws and the incarcerated judges cannot help the situation. Law differentiates civilization from the jungle. All the respectable and prosperous countries we see today are stable with democracy and strong judiciaries. Temporary economic growth without the rule of law ends disastrously like East Pakistan or Musharraf’s era.
The judicial issue is not about employment of a few individuals but how Pakistan should be ruled; either according to the laws or whims of a certain individual holding the gun. Where law ends tyranny begins bringing all kinds of sufferings along. Nations who choose to be ruled by the law hold constitutions sacred, as it is the mother of all laws and institutions. Unfortunately we have failed to protect our constitution from the self-serving usurpers and are paying a heavy price for that. We cannot afford to let our constitution be desecrated like it happened on the fateful night of 3rd of November. Pakistanis cannot afford to let a law and constitution vandalizing dictator get away with his detestable actions and must correct as much and as soon as possible.
It is interesting to note that most people preaching that judges issues is worsening the flour crisis are somehow associated with the current setup. They are either direct beneficiaries of the government or hope to be soon. This discussion appears to be a very well planned and well planted by the government. Succumbing to their defective reasoning wouldn’t only make us accomplice in the crime against the country but also would be giving a dreadful message to the future usurpers. Many would interpret that the best way to get away with terrible illegal actions is by causing serious problems. This makes the nation busy with its sustenance making it indifferent to their crimes. The British used to cause famine in Bengal to subdue the natives moving them away from struggling for political rights long time back. We must be kinder with our own people.
We must institute effective checks on our rulers, which are missing so badly. The only way to do it is by establishing the rule of law written in the constitution and guaranteed by an independent judiciary. Justice without force is impotent; force without justice is tyranny and the civil society must lend its force and moral authority to the judiciary. Only strengthened judiciary would be able to protect the rights of the ordinary people forcing the rulers to obey the laws.
If we succeed in bringing our rulers under the rule of law its effects will trickle down fast to the lowest levels of bureaucracy improving the lot of the ordinary people. Law is the biggest defender of the ordinary people against the over growth and strangulation of the establishment. So we see the judges issue is directly related with the various shortages and problems Pakistanis are facing. Dictators can’t afford a judiciary that checks them and nation cant afford one that doesn’t; in other words the nation can’t afford dictators. Letting a dictator get away with such a serious crime is not only allowing and legalizing the snatching of bread from the poor but also from the mouths of many future generations.
khanmomar@yahoo.com
khanmomar@yahoo.com
Dr. Khan heads a Lahore based Think Tank.
22-5-08
Rule of law and the price hike
Certain segments of our society are astonished at the preoccupation of many with the judiciary issue despite the soaring price of wheat and other basic problems. They argue that the uncontrolled price hike has made basic necessities inaccessible for our majority and must be addressed first because it is more important than the judge’s issue. Severe power shortage, poverty, inflation, terrorism, law and order and host of other problems are being ignored due to the attention diverted towards the deposed judges issue. This line of argument construes that the judge’s issue is a theoretical one creating hurdles in the solution of other more pressing problems, so it must be avoided or sidelined until the other more important concerns are adequately addressed. This line of reasoning is not only wrong but also extremely dangerous. Rule of law needs an independent and potent judiciary and has a very direct and strong effect on all the problems facing the nation including the availability of basic food items and the price hike. The strength of the rule of law is symbolized by the reinstatement of the judiciary deposed illegally by a single person.
Without repeating the popular argument that restoration of the judges does not stop the administrative processes needed to solve these problems I would like to focus on the neglected but important ones. The international factors affecting inflation are beyond our immediate means but the most important local cause of price hike and inflation is bad or irresponsible government. This can show itself in many ways like
a. Unaccountable dictatorial governments tend to get into irresponsible spending sprees. The import of many Mercedes cars by the x PM Shaukat Aziz and the innumerable lavish foreign trips with hundreds of sycophants at the expense of the national exchequer played a major role in creating the problems we are facing today. If they still go unchecked, the problems will worsen and a dynamic judiciary is an effective defense against it.
b. Corruption, which is a direct attack on the national exchequer, is another major cause of economic mess that can deteriorate the conditions of ordinary people. The recent attempt by the government to sell the steel mill at a ridiculously low price is a blatant example of this. Understandably the courts intervention protecting the nation’s assets became an unpardonable offence.
c. Wrong priorities either due to ineptness or dubious petty self-interests causes major wastage of national resources. They can cause diverse problems like wheat, sugar shortages or poverty and unemployment in the long run. A bird’s eye view of Pakistan’s budget showing Education allocation of less than 2% and health at less than 1% clearly proves that something terrible is going on with our messed up priorities.
d. Cartelization of the basic commodities occurs only with the consent or connivance of the government causing havoc with the prices. In Pakistan we see cartels of basic commodities like flour, sugar, cement etc operating and fixing prices openly without any fear of accountability or reprisal. In other countries where the rights of ordinary people are protected they would risk getting severely punished for price fixing but not here. Islam is the only religion in the world that categorically condemns the practice of hoarding for profits but still it is tolerated in the only country made in the name of Islam. In the process many lives are ruined but some wallets are exceedingly inflated. An active judiciary is the most effective protection against it.
All this happens when there is insufficient unaccountability of the government or rulers allowing them to act irresponsibly. In democracies the public opinion performs the accountability functions with the help of the judiciary, but in the unfortunate countries like ours where martial laws are rampant the judiciary has to do it alone. This very well explains Gen Musharraf’s government’s extreme annoyance with the courts trying to act independently, something never witnessed before. He finally considered it imperative for his aims to discard the constitution along with the judiciary challenging his unabated powers. Dictatorial governments can’t afford independent judges so the entire senior judiciary was arrested by a general; a very dark part of our pathetic history.
Prosperity needs a good economy that creates wealth and jobs. This in turn requires investments, both local and foreign, which only flows towards countries enjoying certainty and stability. Stability needs rule of law, not the law made by a certain individual but the written and accepted law, which is protected and implemented by a strong and independent judiciary. The execution of laws is more important than making of laws and the incarcerated judges cannot help the situation. Law differentiates civilization from the jungle. All the respectable and prosperous countries we see today are stable with democracy and strong judiciaries. Temporary economic growth without the rule of law ends disastrously like East Pakistan or Musharraf’s era.
The judicial issue is not about employment of a few individuals but how Pakistan should be ruled; either according to the laws or whims of a certain individual holding the gun. Where law ends tyranny begins bringing all kinds of sufferings along. Nations who choose to be ruled by the law hold constitutions sacred, as it is the mother of all laws and institutions. Unfortunately we have failed to protect our constitution from the self-serving usurpers and are paying a heavy price for that. We cannot afford to let our constitution be desecrated like it happened on the fateful night of 3rd of November. Pakistanis cannot afford to let a law and constitution vandalizing dictator get away with his detestable actions and must correct as much and as soon as possible.
It is interesting to note that most people preaching that judges issues is worsening the flour crisis are somehow associated with the current setup. They are either direct beneficiaries of the government or hope to be soon. This discussion appears to be a very well planned and well planted by the government. Succumbing to their defective reasoning wouldn’t only make us accomplice in the crime against the country but also would be giving a dreadful message to the future usurpers. Many would interpret that the best way to get away with terrible illegal actions is by causing serious problems. This makes the nation busy with its sustenance making it indifferent to their crimes. The British used to cause famine in Bengal to subdue the natives moving them away from struggling for political rights long time back. We must be kinder with our own people.
We must institute effective checks on our rulers, which are missing so badly. The only way to do it is by establishing the rule of law written in the constitution and guaranteed by an independent judiciary. Justice without force is impotent; force without justice is tyranny and the civil society must lend its force and moral authority to the judiciary. Only strengthened judiciary would be able to protect the rights of the ordinary people forcing the rulers to obey the laws.
If we succeed in bringing our rulers under the rule of law its effects will trickle down fast to the lowest levels of bureaucracy improving the lot of the ordinary people. Law is the biggest defender of the ordinary people against the over growth and strangulation of the establishment. So we see the judges issue is directly related with the various shortages and problems Pakistanis are facing. Dictators can’t afford a judiciary that checks them and nation cant afford one that doesn’t; in other words the nation can’t afford dictators. Letting a dictator get away with such a serious crime is not only allowing and legalizing the snatching of bread from the poor but also from the mouths of many future generations.
khanmomar@yahoo.com
Reconciliation Pakistani Style
Dr. Umar Khan
khanmomar@yahoo.com
Dr. Khan heads a Lahore based Think Tank. 18-10-07
Reconciliation Pakistani Style!
The recent national reconciliation ordinance raises many questions due of its timing and content. It was introduced hours before the reelection of Gen Musharraf from the same assembly for the second time and apparently selectively benefits BB and the PPP, who were routinely slandered by Musharraf himself. He used the argument of corruption and impropriatory prevalent in our politics to justify his takeover and now when under pressure, he was willing to sacrifice his cherished beliefs for political expediency. This ordinance seems to be customized to benefit the MQM and the PPP while ignoring the Nawaz League, a major political party and the nationalist parties of smaller provinces. Because of these major omissions if it is reconciliation of some kind it does not qualify as national reconciliation. At the most we can call it reconciliation between 3 political groups. Sounds a bit like a deal?
Whether it is reconciliation or deal one thing is for certain and that is that BB and her associates will get a sigh of relief from the innumerable cases filed against them by the NAB but at a cost. This reconciliation is being perceived as a deal by many further damaging the reputation of BB and PPP. Such a blanket pardon/immunity offered in this ordinance appears suspiciously like a form of sophisticated confession. The protection provided by this ordinance might be at too much of a cost to the image and perception of the party making it worthless. If ZAB could face courts and BB herself could do it for decades along with her husband, she might be prudent if she gets her final relief from the courts and not ordinances promulgated by Generals under duress. She owes it to her party, the nation, the Pakistani polity and herself.
It is true that politicians in Pakistan have been the punching bags of the ruling elite. Some of them might be corrupt but they are not the only one’s. They are the most abused and maligned of the privileged. They had to go through Ebdoes, Prodas etc. while their rivals in the power game, the Generals and the bureaucrats had it easy. These witch hunts never ended and finally took the shape of NAB. In this power struggle the courts were used unashamedly with the help of brute power. It is also true that this unfair treatment was disproportionately conferred on the politicians coming from the smaller provinces. Bhutto’s case is still something everyone tries to push under the rug including the people involved in it. These cases of corruption and other forms of impropriety were prolonged beyond comprehension while effective media trials were held during this period. In short the political class was effectively tormented in the name of accountability by people who should have been held accountable themselves. Still it does not justify immunity of a leader from an ordinance proclaimed by a General in duress.
It has gotten so bad that the different accountability efforts became very effective in subduing the politicians and making them pliable and compliant for the service of the ruling parties. No wonder most Pakistanis consider NAB a recruiting agency for the military dominated government, a sad commentary on the process of accountability itself. BBs decades of exile or her husband’s long jail term without conviction is unjust and reprehensible but still does not justify the blanket immunity offered by the ordinance because it will come at the expense of blemish on her and her party.
She should certainly not keep on suffering indefinitely in the hands of people of dubious credentials. For this she might be much better off to demand better legal protections and procedures which might take different forms. Judges of different tribunals can be made responsible to conduct and complete a case in the stipulated period. Failure to adhere to the time restraints must carry serious repercussions on the part of officials involved. She might justifiably demand a temporary immunity until the cases are decided. Fresh cases must be filed very carefully and those accusing politicians baselessly for their own ulterior malicious reasons should be taken to task. We are Muslims and our Islam is very clear about how we should treat the false accusers. Ultimately BB and the PPP must be vindicated by the court of law and nothing short of it. Might be cumbersome but still worth it.
The basic idea of reconciliation, if at all seriously desired here, is a very good one. We might consider attempting a true national reconciliation covering all aspects of our society and geography. We must be more accommodating with our Baloch and tribal brothers and stop attempts to force their compliance. Any attempt of national reconciliation without Nawaz League will remain incomplete. Personal vendettas must be put aside for the national good and gracious and chivalrous attitudes adopted. The South African experience teaches us that reconciliation without extracting out the truth is incomplete so let us make it a truth and reconciliation exercise on those lines. We can be tolerant and forgiving to our own people.
After all this the government owes it to its people to inform them that how much was spent on the futile exercise of NAB. Detailed accounts and expenses might explain a lot about its genesis and reasons of existence. If we are able to introduce a culture of accountability of public funds by exposing the accounts instead of hiding behind the unwisely conceived national secrets we might be doing a great favor to the nation. The thought of having to go through this exercise would discourage many future misappropriations. If money was wasted in this useless endeavor we might also try to identify the people responsible for this wastage of public resources and hold them accountable. The people in power are the trustees of public resources and must protect as a duty.
We have been repeatedly told that Pakistan is going through very tough times and unfortunately many times it has been true. Many rulers consider national emergencies an opportunity and excuse to amass more power at the slightest hint of such a pretext. Yes Pakistan is going through very tough times and we can’t afford to make any more mistakes. We have a mini civil war going on in the tribal areas and like fire it must be curtailed soon before it engulfs the entire nation. For this we need a true national reconciliation and no half hearted efforts with other ulterior motives. BB might consider rising to the occasion and taking lead by empowering the judiciary and getting acquitted after the due process of law. Extending the same protection of law to all corners of the country can take care of most, if not all our problems. She is a hard bargainer and if she can force a General to promulgate a very embarrassing ordinance she can bargain justice for other Pakistanis too. If she succeeds in the national reconciliation, the nation might accord her the Mandela status overlooking her and her husbands past. It’s her choice, whether she wants to be remembered as a general’s protégé or Bhutto’s daughter in letter and also in spirit, something people have started doubting lately.
khanmomar@yahoo.com
Dr. Khan heads a Lahore based Think Tank. 18-10-07
Reconciliation Pakistani Style!
The recent national reconciliation ordinance raises many questions due of its timing and content. It was introduced hours before the reelection of Gen Musharraf from the same assembly for the second time and apparently selectively benefits BB and the PPP, who were routinely slandered by Musharraf himself. He used the argument of corruption and impropriatory prevalent in our politics to justify his takeover and now when under pressure, he was willing to sacrifice his cherished beliefs for political expediency. This ordinance seems to be customized to benefit the MQM and the PPP while ignoring the Nawaz League, a major political party and the nationalist parties of smaller provinces. Because of these major omissions if it is reconciliation of some kind it does not qualify as national reconciliation. At the most we can call it reconciliation between 3 political groups. Sounds a bit like a deal?
Whether it is reconciliation or deal one thing is for certain and that is that BB and her associates will get a sigh of relief from the innumerable cases filed against them by the NAB but at a cost. This reconciliation is being perceived as a deal by many further damaging the reputation of BB and PPP. Such a blanket pardon/immunity offered in this ordinance appears suspiciously like a form of sophisticated confession. The protection provided by this ordinance might be at too much of a cost to the image and perception of the party making it worthless. If ZAB could face courts and BB herself could do it for decades along with her husband, she might be prudent if she gets her final relief from the courts and not ordinances promulgated by Generals under duress. She owes it to her party, the nation, the Pakistani polity and herself.
It is true that politicians in Pakistan have been the punching bags of the ruling elite. Some of them might be corrupt but they are not the only one’s. They are the most abused and maligned of the privileged. They had to go through Ebdoes, Prodas etc. while their rivals in the power game, the Generals and the bureaucrats had it easy. These witch hunts never ended and finally took the shape of NAB. In this power struggle the courts were used unashamedly with the help of brute power. It is also true that this unfair treatment was disproportionately conferred on the politicians coming from the smaller provinces. Bhutto’s case is still something everyone tries to push under the rug including the people involved in it. These cases of corruption and other forms of impropriety were prolonged beyond comprehension while effective media trials were held during this period. In short the political class was effectively tormented in the name of accountability by people who should have been held accountable themselves. Still it does not justify immunity of a leader from an ordinance proclaimed by a General in duress.
It has gotten so bad that the different accountability efforts became very effective in subduing the politicians and making them pliable and compliant for the service of the ruling parties. No wonder most Pakistanis consider NAB a recruiting agency for the military dominated government, a sad commentary on the process of accountability itself. BBs decades of exile or her husband’s long jail term without conviction is unjust and reprehensible but still does not justify the blanket immunity offered by the ordinance because it will come at the expense of blemish on her and her party.
She should certainly not keep on suffering indefinitely in the hands of people of dubious credentials. For this she might be much better off to demand better legal protections and procedures which might take different forms. Judges of different tribunals can be made responsible to conduct and complete a case in the stipulated period. Failure to adhere to the time restraints must carry serious repercussions on the part of officials involved. She might justifiably demand a temporary immunity until the cases are decided. Fresh cases must be filed very carefully and those accusing politicians baselessly for their own ulterior malicious reasons should be taken to task. We are Muslims and our Islam is very clear about how we should treat the false accusers. Ultimately BB and the PPP must be vindicated by the court of law and nothing short of it. Might be cumbersome but still worth it.
The basic idea of reconciliation, if at all seriously desired here, is a very good one. We might consider attempting a true national reconciliation covering all aspects of our society and geography. We must be more accommodating with our Baloch and tribal brothers and stop attempts to force their compliance. Any attempt of national reconciliation without Nawaz League will remain incomplete. Personal vendettas must be put aside for the national good and gracious and chivalrous attitudes adopted. The South African experience teaches us that reconciliation without extracting out the truth is incomplete so let us make it a truth and reconciliation exercise on those lines. We can be tolerant and forgiving to our own people.
After all this the government owes it to its people to inform them that how much was spent on the futile exercise of NAB. Detailed accounts and expenses might explain a lot about its genesis and reasons of existence. If we are able to introduce a culture of accountability of public funds by exposing the accounts instead of hiding behind the unwisely conceived national secrets we might be doing a great favor to the nation. The thought of having to go through this exercise would discourage many future misappropriations. If money was wasted in this useless endeavor we might also try to identify the people responsible for this wastage of public resources and hold them accountable. The people in power are the trustees of public resources and must protect as a duty.
We have been repeatedly told that Pakistan is going through very tough times and unfortunately many times it has been true. Many rulers consider national emergencies an opportunity and excuse to amass more power at the slightest hint of such a pretext. Yes Pakistan is going through very tough times and we can’t afford to make any more mistakes. We have a mini civil war going on in the tribal areas and like fire it must be curtailed soon before it engulfs the entire nation. For this we need a true national reconciliation and no half hearted efforts with other ulterior motives. BB might consider rising to the occasion and taking lead by empowering the judiciary and getting acquitted after the due process of law. Extending the same protection of law to all corners of the country can take care of most, if not all our problems. She is a hard bargainer and if she can force a General to promulgate a very embarrassing ordinance she can bargain justice for other Pakistanis too. If she succeeds in the national reconciliation, the nation might accord her the Mandela status overlooking her and her husbands past. It’s her choice, whether she wants to be remembered as a general’s protégé or Bhutto’s daughter in letter and also in spirit, something people have started doubting lately.
Voters making Pakistan proud
Dr. Umar Khan
khanmomar@yahoo.com
Dr. Khan heads a Lahore based Think Tank.
19-2-08
Voters making Pakistan proud
Pakistanis are accused to lack education and civility. They are considered poor with extremist tendencies lacking tolerance making them absolutely unfit for modern democracy and human rights. This aspersing tirade against Pakistanis is being conducted by the western media with able and active help of our rulers working hard to convince the world of the lowness of Pakistanis improving their utility for them. Nothing could be farther from truth as Pakistanis have again and again clearly shown that they are peace loving enlightened people whenever allowed to vote. On 18th of February elections they voted overwhelmingly for democracy and democrats rejecting the religious extremists and all others who sided with the non-democratic forces. There is no surprise here for keen observers as for quite some time voices supporting the undemocratic forces had silenced and it was a rarity to find someone favoring them. Pakistanis might be poor and illiterate but certainly not unwise. They are surprisingly enlightened aware of their good and bad much better than the electorate of many developed countries. I am so proud of my 160 million Pakistanis who never stop surprising.
The latest collective national judgment came when the largest democracy India was choosing bigots like Narendra Moodi and the strongest democracy the USA has repeatedly elected the war mongering neocons. By rejecting the extremists the electorate has made it impossible for the non-democratic forces to play the deadly Algerian game in Pakistan in which the undemocratic state keeps on fighting the extremists it covertly supports. Nothing short of miraculous, the Pakistanis have all the rights to be proud of themselves.
This is not the first time they have shown their wisdom clearly. 38 years ago when we were enduring another tyrant in 1970, the electorate unmistakably rejected the religious parties and the backward forces in the first Pakistani elections. We have had so many tyrants that at times it is a bit difficult to keep count of them; it was probably the second tyrant in 1970 who was actively supporting the backward looking political parties with strong leaning towards extremism and intolerance. He also underestimated the public and hoped to fool them prolonging his reign. He was surprised to see the marvelous collective wisdom of the people and conceitedly refused to accept it. He and other antidemocratic forces questioned the decision of the people wrongly using a few verses of Iqbal denouncing the whole electoral process. This callous act of our old tyrant broke the country, as he preferred to surrender to the enemies over conceding to its people. Even in the highly managed elections of 1980s and 90s the people did express their wisdom whenever possible. No wonder I am proud of my people.
Unfortunately there is a small class of privileged people who have been able to rule Pakistan from its very inception. Originally it consisted of feudals and British trained bureaucrats who considered themselves superiors and the Pakistanis natives. Later they allowed some generals and newly rich business class to enter this closely guarded club of rulers to strengthen their hold on power. This class always looked down at Pakistanis declaring them unfit for democracy or to make decisions for themselves. They never gave freedom to the people and prided in degrading them. In informal discussions they openly proclaim that they have to guide the people as a father. Whatever qualifies them to be a father figure is a well-kept secret. Interestingly a close study of our history shows that common Pakistanis are wiser than this group of people and make far better choices. Whenever the ruling classes arrogantly overruled the decisions of the people, we harmed the nation.
The unelected Pakistani rulers started the 65 war without asking the people, then started a war against their own people in 1971, fought in the cold war devastating the basic fabric of the society in the 80s, started the Kargill war and now are busy fighting the American war against terrorism killing our own people. All these events have seriously harmed the nation and a lesser nation might not have been able to survive this recklessness. Despite its unparalleled resilience the Pakistani nation is going through tremendous pain due to them. If these rulers have an iota of conscience in them they must apologize to the nation and promise not to repeat their follies.
This imprudent but selfish ruling class routinely blames the people for its failures. In the process they keep on degrading and defaming the Pakistani people for their own petty benefits. The more they are able to scare the west by portraying the Pakistanis as senseless sub humans the more they find themselves in need of thus perpetuating their rule. Now that it has been repeatedly proven that the collective wisdom is much better than individual wisdom of a few self proclaimed deliverers we must devise ways to free ourselves of this injurious cycle and nobody can do it but the Pakistanis themselves. They must control their destiny and not allow anyone snatching their rights. According to Churchill when a nation has allowed itself to fall under a tyrannical regime, it cannot be absolved from the faults due to the guilt of that regime and neither can we. Any excuse would serve a tyrant and they have been doing it blatantly in Pakistan, and we must stop giving them any more of them. Some psychologists think that all men would be tyrants if they could, so we should simply ensure that no one is ever able to be one. Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God and we need to resist it to the utmost as it is the root cause of all our problems, or shall we say the core issue?
Despite our strengths we Pakistanis are guilty of allowing others to abuse us not standing up sufficiently for our rights. History has shown that whenever we stood for our rights we prevailed. Even the current relatively fair elections did not come by chance as the same government arranged the highly rigged 2002 and the subsequent local body elections. The government knew of its fate in free elections and begged the world for permission to rig them humiliating the nation in the process. It was the historic mobilization of the civil society after the lawyers’ movement and the assertiveness of the media and other segments of the society that convinced the foreign powerbrokers not to offend the Pakistani public any more. They could not afford the fury of the Pakistanis, which could surface in case of rigged or stolen elections. This eleven months of struggle gave us a reasonably fare elections we are unaccustomed to and the Pakistani electorate took full advantage of this opportunity. Oh I am so proud of Pakistanis!
The Pakistanis have come a long way and the worst seems to be over for them but there is still struggle left. Pakistanis have to win their rights and they can do it. They have shown their wisdom but still have to show their resolve to fight for their rights. They have suffered a lot for this weakness. They can still overcome all their previous mistakes by finally breaking the shackles and taking their destiny in their own hands. Only this way we can earn the respect in the community of nations that we deserve, as a peaceful, enlightened and prosperous nation. Proud Pakistanis I am proud of you and you have all the reasons to be proud of yourselves.
khanmomar@yahoo.com
Dr. Khan heads a Lahore based Think Tank.
19-2-08
Voters making Pakistan proud
Pakistanis are accused to lack education and civility. They are considered poor with extremist tendencies lacking tolerance making them absolutely unfit for modern democracy and human rights. This aspersing tirade against Pakistanis is being conducted by the western media with able and active help of our rulers working hard to convince the world of the lowness of Pakistanis improving their utility for them. Nothing could be farther from truth as Pakistanis have again and again clearly shown that they are peace loving enlightened people whenever allowed to vote. On 18th of February elections they voted overwhelmingly for democracy and democrats rejecting the religious extremists and all others who sided with the non-democratic forces. There is no surprise here for keen observers as for quite some time voices supporting the undemocratic forces had silenced and it was a rarity to find someone favoring them. Pakistanis might be poor and illiterate but certainly not unwise. They are surprisingly enlightened aware of their good and bad much better than the electorate of many developed countries. I am so proud of my 160 million Pakistanis who never stop surprising.
The latest collective national judgment came when the largest democracy India was choosing bigots like Narendra Moodi and the strongest democracy the USA has repeatedly elected the war mongering neocons. By rejecting the extremists the electorate has made it impossible for the non-democratic forces to play the deadly Algerian game in Pakistan in which the undemocratic state keeps on fighting the extremists it covertly supports. Nothing short of miraculous, the Pakistanis have all the rights to be proud of themselves.
This is not the first time they have shown their wisdom clearly. 38 years ago when we were enduring another tyrant in 1970, the electorate unmistakably rejected the religious parties and the backward forces in the first Pakistani elections. We have had so many tyrants that at times it is a bit difficult to keep count of them; it was probably the second tyrant in 1970 who was actively supporting the backward looking political parties with strong leaning towards extremism and intolerance. He also underestimated the public and hoped to fool them prolonging his reign. He was surprised to see the marvelous collective wisdom of the people and conceitedly refused to accept it. He and other antidemocratic forces questioned the decision of the people wrongly using a few verses of Iqbal denouncing the whole electoral process. This callous act of our old tyrant broke the country, as he preferred to surrender to the enemies over conceding to its people. Even in the highly managed elections of 1980s and 90s the people did express their wisdom whenever possible. No wonder I am proud of my people.
Unfortunately there is a small class of privileged people who have been able to rule Pakistan from its very inception. Originally it consisted of feudals and British trained bureaucrats who considered themselves superiors and the Pakistanis natives. Later they allowed some generals and newly rich business class to enter this closely guarded club of rulers to strengthen their hold on power. This class always looked down at Pakistanis declaring them unfit for democracy or to make decisions for themselves. They never gave freedom to the people and prided in degrading them. In informal discussions they openly proclaim that they have to guide the people as a father. Whatever qualifies them to be a father figure is a well-kept secret. Interestingly a close study of our history shows that common Pakistanis are wiser than this group of people and make far better choices. Whenever the ruling classes arrogantly overruled the decisions of the people, we harmed the nation.
The unelected Pakistani rulers started the 65 war without asking the people, then started a war against their own people in 1971, fought in the cold war devastating the basic fabric of the society in the 80s, started the Kargill war and now are busy fighting the American war against terrorism killing our own people. All these events have seriously harmed the nation and a lesser nation might not have been able to survive this recklessness. Despite its unparalleled resilience the Pakistani nation is going through tremendous pain due to them. If these rulers have an iota of conscience in them they must apologize to the nation and promise not to repeat their follies.
This imprudent but selfish ruling class routinely blames the people for its failures. In the process they keep on degrading and defaming the Pakistani people for their own petty benefits. The more they are able to scare the west by portraying the Pakistanis as senseless sub humans the more they find themselves in need of thus perpetuating their rule. Now that it has been repeatedly proven that the collective wisdom is much better than individual wisdom of a few self proclaimed deliverers we must devise ways to free ourselves of this injurious cycle and nobody can do it but the Pakistanis themselves. They must control their destiny and not allow anyone snatching their rights. According to Churchill when a nation has allowed itself to fall under a tyrannical regime, it cannot be absolved from the faults due to the guilt of that regime and neither can we. Any excuse would serve a tyrant and they have been doing it blatantly in Pakistan, and we must stop giving them any more of them. Some psychologists think that all men would be tyrants if they could, so we should simply ensure that no one is ever able to be one. Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God and we need to resist it to the utmost as it is the root cause of all our problems, or shall we say the core issue?
Despite our strengths we Pakistanis are guilty of allowing others to abuse us not standing up sufficiently for our rights. History has shown that whenever we stood for our rights we prevailed. Even the current relatively fair elections did not come by chance as the same government arranged the highly rigged 2002 and the subsequent local body elections. The government knew of its fate in free elections and begged the world for permission to rig them humiliating the nation in the process. It was the historic mobilization of the civil society after the lawyers’ movement and the assertiveness of the media and other segments of the society that convinced the foreign powerbrokers not to offend the Pakistani public any more. They could not afford the fury of the Pakistanis, which could surface in case of rigged or stolen elections. This eleven months of struggle gave us a reasonably fare elections we are unaccustomed to and the Pakistani electorate took full advantage of this opportunity. Oh I am so proud of Pakistanis!
The Pakistanis have come a long way and the worst seems to be over for them but there is still struggle left. Pakistanis have to win their rights and they can do it. They have shown their wisdom but still have to show their resolve to fight for their rights. They have suffered a lot for this weakness. They can still overcome all their previous mistakes by finally breaking the shackles and taking their destiny in their own hands. Only this way we can earn the respect in the community of nations that we deserve, as a peaceful, enlightened and prosperous nation. Proud Pakistanis I am proud of you and you have all the reasons to be proud of yourselves.
Where will our priorities take us?
Dr. Umar Khan
khanmomar@yahoo.com
Dr. Khan heads a Lahore based think tank.
Where will our priorities take us?
In 1258 Halaku Khan invaded and captured Baghdad, the capital of Abbasid caliphate. It was the prime seat of civilization and learning of its time which was totally destroyed by the uncultured Mongols while Muslims were massacred. This single historic event is one of the most painful in the Muslim history and every Muslim family routinely tells this story to its children while giving the reasons for this tragedy and lessons to be learnt. The most common narrative is that people and Ulema of those times had gotten into useless academic debates about religion which did not have anything to do with people’s problems. The two examples most commonly cited are the discussion about hen’s egg and its kosherness, and the debate about Koran being alive so needing jinaza and proper burial. The Ulema and intellectuals indulged themselves into meaningless discussions ignoring the pressing problems of the people and defense of the country, making Baghdad vulnerable. Pakistan’s current religious political parties apparently opposing the military led government finally found out an issue where it can get tough with the government threatening resignations, protests and other extreme measures. The hot issue is the women protection bill which was a partial repeal of the hadood ordinance enforced by another general, Zia ul Haq. Apparently how we treat accused adulterers is more important than educating millions of Muslims, or providing them with health care, or giving them human dignity or in short, haqooqulibad.
Priorities play a very important role in shaping the future of nations and individuals alike. Factors determining the course of events are nearly always well appreciated but it is the correctness of priorities that eventually differentiates the winners from losers. Academics is important for students as are the physical activities and social skills, but if a student spends too much time on developing social skills while ignoring academics, he is bound to suffer no matter how much lip service he gives to the importance of studies and sports. In the medieval ages the Christians found a biblical verse, “thou shall not let a witch to live” most important and history is full of stories of priests looking for witches and burning them alive. We in Pakistan many times find reason for extremely heavy spending on defense from Quran forgetting that more verses can be found about education, health or human welfare. When Christian’s priorities were messed up they suffered as a group and were repeatedly subjugated and humiliated. For the last few centuries unfortunately the Islamic world is facing tough times and it may be time for some introspection and straightening of priorities. It is our wrong priorities that may be causing repeated tragedies.
Analyses of the current state of our priorities can be pretty distressing. Despite being the followers of the only religion which repeatedly stresses on education we are continuously spending the least on educating our children. Islam showed this world the first truly welfare state where all the necessities of the people were taken care by the state but today our governments are terribly negligent. Despite democracy introduced millennia ago, the Muslim world is ages behind the world in this respect. Islamic civilization built strong institutions when such things were unheard of and today our institutions are in a pathetic state. Islam was the pioneer in raising the issue of human rights (haqooqulibad) and today others remind us of our duty to give rights to our people. Judicial system is crumbling. Corruption, which is a form of stealing from the weak, is rampant and the list goes on and on. Just a few days back a student wing of a religious political party in its annual report said that 7 million Muslim children are denied basic schooling but it was not considered important enough to be followed or acted upon whereas women rights bill was.
We are blessed with the only religion which is “Rehmat” and our Prophet (PBUH) “Rehmatulalamein”. It is the only religion which is not only a set of rituals but encompasses all aspects of life of individuals and the state. It is the only religion stressing education and human rights. Although we still give lip service to all these aspects but we fail to give it the importance and priority it deserves. I am yet to see our religious leaders protesting against illiteracy or peoples political rights as a religious duty. But when it is a gender issue or any other issue involving interests of leaders they can be active rather proactive. It is not to say that gender issues are not important but they are not the only important issues and we must be careful not to allow anyone to dilute the attention of people from their real issues by fostering such issues for their own designs.
Actually it was malookiat which managed to routinely relegate the issue of haqooqulibad with all its aspects for its only political and other interests because it was based on denial of people’s political rights. The strategy was simple. All focus was diverted from welfare of the people to issues not easily comprehensible by the simple people. This strategy while effectively increased the power and influence of the approved clergy it also secured the Kings leaving more resources and money in their hands. No wonder it was a very suitable situation for the Muslim Kings and so they nurtured this thought. Even if we see the 11 year tenure of Zia in Pakistan who proclaimed bringing in Islamic law we see the same trend. He failed miserably to bring in the rule of law, or educate or give rights to the people but effectively introduced some punishments and started discussions about gender issues.
Today, despite being 20% of the world and controlling most of its resources the situation of the Islamic countries is pathetic to say the least. Everyday scores of Muslims are being killed around the world on one pretext or others. Our young have been effectively labeled terrorists and humiliated at airports. We did have a renaissance of sorts in the last 40 years and our people are honest, sincere to the extent that they are ready to sacrifice their lives for their faith. Our mosques are full of Namazis and Ramzan is observed very solemnly but still our conditions are not improving. The world was astonished to find a few thousand Japanese kamikazes willing to die for their country but now the list of willing suicide volunteers seem to be unending. Their “jazba” when combined with the American technology could defeat, rather uproot a super power but the same jazba alone could just muster martyrs. Our weakness in factors other than jazba and imaan is due to our messed up priorities causing lack of education which needs money and other resources our rulers want to keep for their lavish lifestyles. This sufficiently explains our sorry state of affairs.
It is about time we correct our priorities. We acknowledge that people welfare cannot be divorced from our religion. We realize that it is our religious duty to educate our children. It is our duty to provide them the necessities of life. It is our duty to give them dignity. It is our duty to assure them of their political rights. Only once we realize our duties we can be able to fulfill them and create a society the world might admire and maybe follow. Only then we can earn respect of the world we lost centuries ago. The world does not heed to talks no matter how sweet but results and we have only uneducated deprived people being oppressed by despots in the Islamic world. Basically we are sending a message that our system cannot fulfill the needs of our people and modern times. Unfortunately during all this tragedy the intelligentsia is more interested in gender and other issues not directly related to peoples problems. Sounds suspiciously like the Baghdad of middle ages with its messed up priorities. If we do not correct our priorities we will invite the same fate. We still have time but do we have the resolve to correct ourselves is yet to be seen.
Na samjho gey to mit jao gey aye Hindustan walo
Tumhare daastan bhi na rahey gi daastanon main.
khanmomar@yahoo.com
Dr. Khan heads a Lahore based think tank.
Where will our priorities take us?
In 1258 Halaku Khan invaded and captured Baghdad, the capital of Abbasid caliphate. It was the prime seat of civilization and learning of its time which was totally destroyed by the uncultured Mongols while Muslims were massacred. This single historic event is one of the most painful in the Muslim history and every Muslim family routinely tells this story to its children while giving the reasons for this tragedy and lessons to be learnt. The most common narrative is that people and Ulema of those times had gotten into useless academic debates about religion which did not have anything to do with people’s problems. The two examples most commonly cited are the discussion about hen’s egg and its kosherness, and the debate about Koran being alive so needing jinaza and proper burial. The Ulema and intellectuals indulged themselves into meaningless discussions ignoring the pressing problems of the people and defense of the country, making Baghdad vulnerable. Pakistan’s current religious political parties apparently opposing the military led government finally found out an issue where it can get tough with the government threatening resignations, protests and other extreme measures. The hot issue is the women protection bill which was a partial repeal of the hadood ordinance enforced by another general, Zia ul Haq. Apparently how we treat accused adulterers is more important than educating millions of Muslims, or providing them with health care, or giving them human dignity or in short, haqooqulibad.
Priorities play a very important role in shaping the future of nations and individuals alike. Factors determining the course of events are nearly always well appreciated but it is the correctness of priorities that eventually differentiates the winners from losers. Academics is important for students as are the physical activities and social skills, but if a student spends too much time on developing social skills while ignoring academics, he is bound to suffer no matter how much lip service he gives to the importance of studies and sports. In the medieval ages the Christians found a biblical verse, “thou shall not let a witch to live” most important and history is full of stories of priests looking for witches and burning them alive. We in Pakistan many times find reason for extremely heavy spending on defense from Quran forgetting that more verses can be found about education, health or human welfare. When Christian’s priorities were messed up they suffered as a group and were repeatedly subjugated and humiliated. For the last few centuries unfortunately the Islamic world is facing tough times and it may be time for some introspection and straightening of priorities. It is our wrong priorities that may be causing repeated tragedies.
Analyses of the current state of our priorities can be pretty distressing. Despite being the followers of the only religion which repeatedly stresses on education we are continuously spending the least on educating our children. Islam showed this world the first truly welfare state where all the necessities of the people were taken care by the state but today our governments are terribly negligent. Despite democracy introduced millennia ago, the Muslim world is ages behind the world in this respect. Islamic civilization built strong institutions when such things were unheard of and today our institutions are in a pathetic state. Islam was the pioneer in raising the issue of human rights (haqooqulibad) and today others remind us of our duty to give rights to our people. Judicial system is crumbling. Corruption, which is a form of stealing from the weak, is rampant and the list goes on and on. Just a few days back a student wing of a religious political party in its annual report said that 7 million Muslim children are denied basic schooling but it was not considered important enough to be followed or acted upon whereas women rights bill was.
We are blessed with the only religion which is “Rehmat” and our Prophet (PBUH) “Rehmatulalamein”. It is the only religion which is not only a set of rituals but encompasses all aspects of life of individuals and the state. It is the only religion stressing education and human rights. Although we still give lip service to all these aspects but we fail to give it the importance and priority it deserves. I am yet to see our religious leaders protesting against illiteracy or peoples political rights as a religious duty. But when it is a gender issue or any other issue involving interests of leaders they can be active rather proactive. It is not to say that gender issues are not important but they are not the only important issues and we must be careful not to allow anyone to dilute the attention of people from their real issues by fostering such issues for their own designs.
Actually it was malookiat which managed to routinely relegate the issue of haqooqulibad with all its aspects for its only political and other interests because it was based on denial of people’s political rights. The strategy was simple. All focus was diverted from welfare of the people to issues not easily comprehensible by the simple people. This strategy while effectively increased the power and influence of the approved clergy it also secured the Kings leaving more resources and money in their hands. No wonder it was a very suitable situation for the Muslim Kings and so they nurtured this thought. Even if we see the 11 year tenure of Zia in Pakistan who proclaimed bringing in Islamic law we see the same trend. He failed miserably to bring in the rule of law, or educate or give rights to the people but effectively introduced some punishments and started discussions about gender issues.
Today, despite being 20% of the world and controlling most of its resources the situation of the Islamic countries is pathetic to say the least. Everyday scores of Muslims are being killed around the world on one pretext or others. Our young have been effectively labeled terrorists and humiliated at airports. We did have a renaissance of sorts in the last 40 years and our people are honest, sincere to the extent that they are ready to sacrifice their lives for their faith. Our mosques are full of Namazis and Ramzan is observed very solemnly but still our conditions are not improving. The world was astonished to find a few thousand Japanese kamikazes willing to die for their country but now the list of willing suicide volunteers seem to be unending. Their “jazba” when combined with the American technology could defeat, rather uproot a super power but the same jazba alone could just muster martyrs. Our weakness in factors other than jazba and imaan is due to our messed up priorities causing lack of education which needs money and other resources our rulers want to keep for their lavish lifestyles. This sufficiently explains our sorry state of affairs.
It is about time we correct our priorities. We acknowledge that people welfare cannot be divorced from our religion. We realize that it is our religious duty to educate our children. It is our duty to provide them the necessities of life. It is our duty to give them dignity. It is our duty to assure them of their political rights. Only once we realize our duties we can be able to fulfill them and create a society the world might admire and maybe follow. Only then we can earn respect of the world we lost centuries ago. The world does not heed to talks no matter how sweet but results and we have only uneducated deprived people being oppressed by despots in the Islamic world. Basically we are sending a message that our system cannot fulfill the needs of our people and modern times. Unfortunately during all this tragedy the intelligentsia is more interested in gender and other issues not directly related to peoples problems. Sounds suspiciously like the Baghdad of middle ages with its messed up priorities. If we do not correct our priorities we will invite the same fate. We still have time but do we have the resolve to correct ourselves is yet to be seen.
Na samjho gey to mit jao gey aye Hindustan walo
Tumhare daastan bhi na rahey gi daastanon main.
Pragmatism and political realities in Pakistan
Dr. Umar Khan
khanmomar@yahoo.com
Dr. Khan heads a Lahore based Think Tank. 23-12-07
Pragmatism and political realities in Pakistan
Certain well entrenched and privileged segments of our society routinely preach the virtues and need of pragmatism in the current political scenario of Pakistan. They insist that ground realities of politics must be appreciated and accepted. The Pakistani political dynamics imposes certain limits on the politicians and the civil society and adhering to them is important and beneficial to the society and nation as a whole. This kind of logic and reasoning certainly has its merits but it misses one important point that we followed this strategy for 60 years and got ourselves in trouble repeatedly. We jeopardized the future of our generations and became a nation notorious for different reasons like drugs and terrorism etc. All this tells us that whatever we are doing is not working and needs a change. If this is where our realities are taking us we must change the realities. We can’t afford the existing set of political realities.
Our existing realities and pragmatism suggest that the only way our elected assemblies can complete their terms is when they agree to play a junior, rather very junior role to the ruling generals. They must stay away from important issues and contain themselves to debating issues they are permitted by the unelected rulers. They should not try to elect their leader of the house or speaker independently and must not interfere in the 3 most important issues, budget, foreign policy and defense. Who needs such an impotent and inconsequential assembly is not explained in this line of reasoning.
Pragmatism and reality for the politicians translates into striving to get into the good books of different government agencies playing pivotal role in determining the outcome of elections. They should work hard on them while ignoring the voters as they really don’t matter. If smart, they should stay subservient to the power brokers and accept whatever authority is doled out by the powerful. If they want to stay in power, they should never challenge the authority of those who acquire it through dubious means and be satisfied playing the second fiddle to the nonpolitical players of our political system. The political leadership aspiring or reaching the top slot or becoming prime minister must always remember its actual status and should never try to tread beyond the allowed limits.
The courts must never challenge the people in power as this would risk their job and privileges. Their duty is to devise methods to give some king of legal semblance and legitimacy to the powerful. Elected governments can be confronted but the military ones must be obeyed because as one retired CJ put it plainly “Generals can fire judges from the job”.
Prevalent realities on the international scene point to the absolute American hegemony in our political scenario. Anyone striving for power might be well advised to take the Washington route as lately many of our aspiring politicians are doing. Americans interests and demands must be appreciated and all efforts should be directed towards convincing them that you can serve them better and that also at a lesser cost. In the process scaring them by portraying the Pakistanis as uncivilized extremists who must be controlled might help. Americans enjoy the influencer in Pakistan through the army that controls the political scene. American interests must be protected and pursued after declaring it Pakistani interests wherever possible rightly or wrongly.
These are some of the hard but unfortunate realities we have been acknowledging and complying with them for the last 60 years and going downhill. Now we have nearly reached the bottom. In the last few years the only news originating from our part of the world has been negative and people equate us with problem areas like Iraq and Afghanistan. The world has advanced a lot towards democracy and human rights leading to stability and prosperity but we are stuck in the bygone era. These set of realities got us into 7 wars since independence and counting. More than any other country. No nation in its proper frame of mind can dream of progressing while fighting so many wars. Our pragmatism to find the best for ourselves in these conditions has harmed the nation a lot and if we keep on following it we are certainly doomed.
Two important points must never be missed. First being that ground conditions or realities are not permanent or ordained. They exist because we allow them to be as such and they can be changed although it would require substantial effort. For any kind of betterment changes are required and the only individuals or nations that do not change are the ones with proven winning systems, something we certainly do not have. Every system or situation is always created due to a certain set of dynamics at work and the nations wanting to improve struggle to change them. Had the west complied with the realities of the middle ages the world would have been a different place; much worse. Without Magna Carta or the Bastille the monarchs would still be exploiting the ordinary people in Europe, a bit like the current Islamic world. It was their readiness to change for the better and willingness to sacrifice that initiated all the advancements of civilization and other aspects of humanity. We should not treat the malicious ground realities as sacred or unchallengeable perpetuating them in the process.
There is a difference between pragmatism, compliance and collaboration. They might appear to be close, but they do have substantial differences in appearance and direction. It is never advisable or recommended to stand in the way of a freight train but changing its track might achieve the same purpose without losing your ground. Everything in life is not in black and white as there are a million shades of grey in between. We can resist without confronting as the world has devised many ways to do it. Accepting the painful realities and using them for personal gains might be labeled as collaboration that can never be considered wise or noble. In a nation forced into subjugation by local or foreign forces, resisting it to the best of abilities becomes a duty of everyone. It might be advisable to make the resistance well planned and well directed for the best possible results but collaboration or cowardice can never be justified.
Pragmatism certainly has its value and utility but not when it converts into compliance or collaboration. Much of the pragmatism practices in Pakistan is simply opportunism. Opposite of bravery is not cowardice but compliance and we must guard ourselves against falling into this pitfall. Our political realities are so negative that complying with them without attempting to change leaves no room for any betterment. In this situation instead of complying with the existing realities it might be more desirable to direct our efforts towards changing them. In the process personal or group benefits might get neglected but freedom never comes for free. All of South America and Africa finally got rid of dictators imparting self-esteem to their people and acquiring international respect in this period resisting the counterproductive forces and realities. We must also realize our collective duty to resist the negative realities. Had the world been too pragmatic succumbing to immediate pressures without resisting, it could never have improved.
To improve our conditions in Pakistan we will have to discard the over compliance we habitually show in the name of pragmatism and start demanding our rights. A close examination reveals that most of the people preaching pragmatism of this kind or compliance have some kind of vested interests attached and we must be vigilant of them. We must as patriotic Pakistanis; achieve the sovereignty for our elected bodies and the judiciary. The civil society must prevail over the institutions created basically for their service. Failure in this struggle is not an option and Pakistanis must win this struggle if they expect to live as a respectable and dignified nation. Rest of the world has gone through this phase successfully and so should we.
khanmomar@yahoo.com
Dr. Khan heads a Lahore based Think Tank. 23-12-07
Pragmatism and political realities in Pakistan
Certain well entrenched and privileged segments of our society routinely preach the virtues and need of pragmatism in the current political scenario of Pakistan. They insist that ground realities of politics must be appreciated and accepted. The Pakistani political dynamics imposes certain limits on the politicians and the civil society and adhering to them is important and beneficial to the society and nation as a whole. This kind of logic and reasoning certainly has its merits but it misses one important point that we followed this strategy for 60 years and got ourselves in trouble repeatedly. We jeopardized the future of our generations and became a nation notorious for different reasons like drugs and terrorism etc. All this tells us that whatever we are doing is not working and needs a change. If this is where our realities are taking us we must change the realities. We can’t afford the existing set of political realities.
Our existing realities and pragmatism suggest that the only way our elected assemblies can complete their terms is when they agree to play a junior, rather very junior role to the ruling generals. They must stay away from important issues and contain themselves to debating issues they are permitted by the unelected rulers. They should not try to elect their leader of the house or speaker independently and must not interfere in the 3 most important issues, budget, foreign policy and defense. Who needs such an impotent and inconsequential assembly is not explained in this line of reasoning.
Pragmatism and reality for the politicians translates into striving to get into the good books of different government agencies playing pivotal role in determining the outcome of elections. They should work hard on them while ignoring the voters as they really don’t matter. If smart, they should stay subservient to the power brokers and accept whatever authority is doled out by the powerful. If they want to stay in power, they should never challenge the authority of those who acquire it through dubious means and be satisfied playing the second fiddle to the nonpolitical players of our political system. The political leadership aspiring or reaching the top slot or becoming prime minister must always remember its actual status and should never try to tread beyond the allowed limits.
The courts must never challenge the people in power as this would risk their job and privileges. Their duty is to devise methods to give some king of legal semblance and legitimacy to the powerful. Elected governments can be confronted but the military ones must be obeyed because as one retired CJ put it plainly “Generals can fire judges from the job”.
Prevalent realities on the international scene point to the absolute American hegemony in our political scenario. Anyone striving for power might be well advised to take the Washington route as lately many of our aspiring politicians are doing. Americans interests and demands must be appreciated and all efforts should be directed towards convincing them that you can serve them better and that also at a lesser cost. In the process scaring them by portraying the Pakistanis as uncivilized extremists who must be controlled might help. Americans enjoy the influencer in Pakistan through the army that controls the political scene. American interests must be protected and pursued after declaring it Pakistani interests wherever possible rightly or wrongly.
These are some of the hard but unfortunate realities we have been acknowledging and complying with them for the last 60 years and going downhill. Now we have nearly reached the bottom. In the last few years the only news originating from our part of the world has been negative and people equate us with problem areas like Iraq and Afghanistan. The world has advanced a lot towards democracy and human rights leading to stability and prosperity but we are stuck in the bygone era. These set of realities got us into 7 wars since independence and counting. More than any other country. No nation in its proper frame of mind can dream of progressing while fighting so many wars. Our pragmatism to find the best for ourselves in these conditions has harmed the nation a lot and if we keep on following it we are certainly doomed.
Two important points must never be missed. First being that ground conditions or realities are not permanent or ordained. They exist because we allow them to be as such and they can be changed although it would require substantial effort. For any kind of betterment changes are required and the only individuals or nations that do not change are the ones with proven winning systems, something we certainly do not have. Every system or situation is always created due to a certain set of dynamics at work and the nations wanting to improve struggle to change them. Had the west complied with the realities of the middle ages the world would have been a different place; much worse. Without Magna Carta or the Bastille the monarchs would still be exploiting the ordinary people in Europe, a bit like the current Islamic world. It was their readiness to change for the better and willingness to sacrifice that initiated all the advancements of civilization and other aspects of humanity. We should not treat the malicious ground realities as sacred or unchallengeable perpetuating them in the process.
There is a difference between pragmatism, compliance and collaboration. They might appear to be close, but they do have substantial differences in appearance and direction. It is never advisable or recommended to stand in the way of a freight train but changing its track might achieve the same purpose without losing your ground. Everything in life is not in black and white as there are a million shades of grey in between. We can resist without confronting as the world has devised many ways to do it. Accepting the painful realities and using them for personal gains might be labeled as collaboration that can never be considered wise or noble. In a nation forced into subjugation by local or foreign forces, resisting it to the best of abilities becomes a duty of everyone. It might be advisable to make the resistance well planned and well directed for the best possible results but collaboration or cowardice can never be justified.
Pragmatism certainly has its value and utility but not when it converts into compliance or collaboration. Much of the pragmatism practices in Pakistan is simply opportunism. Opposite of bravery is not cowardice but compliance and we must guard ourselves against falling into this pitfall. Our political realities are so negative that complying with them without attempting to change leaves no room for any betterment. In this situation instead of complying with the existing realities it might be more desirable to direct our efforts towards changing them. In the process personal or group benefits might get neglected but freedom never comes for free. All of South America and Africa finally got rid of dictators imparting self-esteem to their people and acquiring international respect in this period resisting the counterproductive forces and realities. We must also realize our collective duty to resist the negative realities. Had the world been too pragmatic succumbing to immediate pressures without resisting, it could never have improved.
To improve our conditions in Pakistan we will have to discard the over compliance we habitually show in the name of pragmatism and start demanding our rights. A close examination reveals that most of the people preaching pragmatism of this kind or compliance have some kind of vested interests attached and we must be vigilant of them. We must as patriotic Pakistanis; achieve the sovereignty for our elected bodies and the judiciary. The civil society must prevail over the institutions created basically for their service. Failure in this struggle is not an option and Pakistanis must win this struggle if they expect to live as a respectable and dignified nation. Rest of the world has gone through this phase successfully and so should we.
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