Our corrupt rulers

Pakist­an suffer­s not becaus­e of democr­acy, but becaus­e we betray­ed Quaid's doctri­ne of modern democr­atic welfar­e state

This is apropos a report in your newspaper about the Senate chairman and members of the upper house expressing concerns about democracy and the statement of the interior minister condemning calls inviting the Rangers to carry out accountability drives. Pakistan, today, suffers not because of democracy, but because we betrayed the Quaid's doctrine of a modern democratic welfare state, where bribery, corruption and black marketing were to be weeded out and citizens were free to practise their religious beliefs, while the state guaranteed protection of life and property. Soon after the Quaid's death, the curse of corruption gained a foothold with fake claims for evacuee property, followed by the bureaucracy refusing to serve the citizens of a sovereign, independent country and instead, adopting the roles of masters, suppressing and persecuting the common folk. This country has witnessed countless sycophants, praising first Ayub Khan's doctrine, then Ziaul Haq's, and lastly General (retd) Pervez Musharraf's. All the while, the country disintegrated in 1971 and thereafter, has been in a continuous state of decline.

There is no constitutional role for the armed forces to intervene in civilian rule, nor to assume responsibilities of accountability to curb loot and plunder of this country, but at the same time there is also no constitutional immunity or role for elected civilian governments to indulge in rampant corruption, patronise armed criminal militias and treat state assets, lands and taxpayer money as spoils of war. The purpose of independence was not to replace the rule of the British with a corrupt rule by mediocre people, obsessed with insatiable greed for land, black money, tax evasion and who are totally disconnected from the masses.

Malik Tariq Ali

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th,  2015.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.

September 18, 2015 at 01:52PM
Source/Credit: The Express Tribune