[font=Times New Roman]On the title “Corruption, Claims of Rulers and Bitter Truths” Irshad Ahmed Haqqani has talked about recent corruption allegations and counter allegations between Sindh CM and sacked Minister and many other related thing. He says that full details of enquiries going on must be released to public. No one will do this ever. Athar Abbas another column writer in his latest article refers to Railway Union’s statement about losses during two previous Railway Chairmen and he says whatever may be said truths on the surface are very bitter. Another senior writer Kamran Shafi in The News in his write up “But, of course” on the subject of corruption and NAB says the NAB has undertaken over the past two years in one case appointment of foreign consultants to advise it on how to improve its image the cost of which consultancy of course is not available to the nation.
[font=Times New Roman]Has corruption decreased? No only its shapes have changed. With a few hours before start of Assembly in the darkness of night getting an Ordinance issued using the words since “it is extremely urgent” establishing a Defence Society in Islamabad is one new form of corruption. Establishing of DHA in Islamabad is not a strange think. If Karachi, Lahore can have why cannot Islamabad. But the way despite the fact there is majority in the assembly of government supporters getting the thing done in the dark night in itself speak the designs. I practically shivered reading about the dismissal of service of the Registrar of highest Supreme Court of Pakistan. This was not because a Supreme Court senior has been found indulged in misappropriation of funds. Some people I do not know why criticize learning any corruption done by any army man. Are the army and judiciary men not from amongst ourselves? If the society is corrupt then why cannot an army general or a judge be corrupt? After all he is also a human being and a piece from general society. He was not born from another God. The reason of my shivering was the dismissed Registrar’s stand that it was a case of discrimination as according to him the previous Registrars had been doing the same and only he victimized and dismissed. The Parliament and the higher courts of every country are the two supreme highest respected organs. A country’s stability and progress is linked with the spirit of these two state organs. One makes the law and other interprets the same laws and guide the government showing the correct legal path. From so called educated class MQM MNA Kunwar Younis was stopped by Karachi Police. MNA was driving a car which had tinted glasses. The legislator MNA who made the law prohibiting use of tinted glasses himself was breaking the law. But height of the same and personal characterless was when the MNA termed this as discrimination on the plea that many tinted glasses vehicles were passing at the same time right under the nose of police but those were not being challaned. The law maker and interpretator of laws, member of highest respected organ Parliament and Judiciary when themselves loose any shelf shame and start taking plea that others are doing wrong hence we should not we then it is a matter of shivering and losing all hopes that ever things would be better. We have gone so low that today not merely we do not feel any guilt or shame in doing a Haram but matter of shivering is today in this age of Modern Enlightenment we even do not think a Haram a Haram.
Unfortunately, Haqqani and others will continue to write desparing articles like these for many more years to come. Eversince my teens, I have been hearing the same stories about corrupt establishment. Even under so-called democracy of Benazir and Sharif, we witnessed daylight robbery of our nation's treasury and institutions. Under Sharif rule, he had the audacity to incite his supporters to physically storm the highest court in the land with complete disregard for the judiciary's esteem.
I can write all day on this subject, but the bottom line is, unless the Pakistani public gets educated and mobilised, we will be saying the same things 50 years from now. Education will lead to empowerment but other factors are also critical to achieving a just society, such as, abolishing the feudal system (or systematically reducing its impact). This can only happen if more and more people from the middle and lower classes become law-makers and over a period of time, change is enacted, rather like in England where over a spell of 50 years, the aristocracy has become irrelevant i today's society, to the extent that even their sports (fox-hunting) are being banned.
There is no harm looking at why India is working. There, despite poverty, the country has become a big player on the global scene in less than 5 years. WHY. The answer lies in the fact that democracy in India is more sincere than in Pakistan, and whilst that continues to be the case, decisions in Pakistan will always be taken in the narrow self-interest rather than broader national interest.
India's lead over Pakistan is now unassailable. Pakistani politicians and leaders should wake up to this fact. When they do, they will realise it is futile to compete against India, so it will be forced to divert its resources into developing the nation rather chasing around the world for spare parts for a few measly F-16's.
Thank you for your honest appraisal. The blinkered eyed Pakistanis on this board will ignore the ground realities and come back with what MM Alam did c1066.
this $hite can only go down the drain, until a common man reach the assemblies and that will only happen when they get education and stand for themselves.
corruption is not institutional thing, its in our society hence in people within.
reading this i also remember when about a meeting with one ISI Agent and Army Col.
one of them said: People think "Fouji bhai" are free from corruption. but we are from same society and most of us in our society try to avail the oppertunity whenever they get it. so when we get it we tend to do the same generally!!