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Pakistan a divided society

By Aslam Naru - posted Tuesday, 15 April 2008


Hardly anybody will dispute that the survival of Pakistan as a nation hinges on strong institutional democratic foundations. Failure of development of such institutions can be traced to the feudal values of unconditional submission and loyalty practiced by the people.

Unfortunately, the bigots - impervious to reason - in our society are myopic, blinded by their interests and are adamant about keeping people ignorant, under developed and thereby deny them the right to life.

Life is not simply working, eating and sleeping. “(It) includes all personal rights and their enjoyment of faculties, acquiring useful knowledge, (and) the right to marry, establish a home and bring up children, freedom of worship, conscience, contract, occupation, speech, assembly and press.” (Black’s Law Dictionary.)

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By nature, human behaviour is strongly informed and influenced by self-interest. However, our excesses are kept in control through social, civil, democratic culture and legal means. Consequently, societies, over time, get accustomed to civilised patterns of life. Sadly, Pakistanis have failed to adopt such a course and hence are heading fast down the road to disaster, i.e. self-annihilation.

The people of Pakistan, on February 18, gave their verdict not only against the policies of President Musharraf, but also against the excesses of the “privileged and powerful elites” - an integral part of the ruling classes.

Pakistan is a divided society in every respect. This vulgar division is so conspicuous and striking that it reflects a chaotic environs in all spheres of our lives. The elite - higher echelons of bureaucracy, generals, wealthy businessmen, feudal, politicians and so on - have their own exclusive schools, housing colonies, healthcare management system, transport etc. They have kept intact the huge gulf, associated with the colonial era, between themselves and the majority of population of Pakistan. The institutions fostered by them are helping nobody except themselves - the elite.

Take the example of our educational institutions. The fundamental objectives of education are for individuals to excel in life, and more importantly, what those individuals can return to society. This latter philosophical concept of education is completely missing in our educational system.

Most of the old political players, on the basis of their power of ill-gotten wealth, have returned to the assemblies: they have billions in assets abroad and are in control of the destiny of the nation. They are benighted, lack vision, and do not possess the ability to understand the unfolding of events of national importance in the contemporary world.

One can fully understand all this based on their family backgrounds and the six decades of Pakistan’s political history. The elite are not much concerned about the problems faced by the common man or the urgent need to act without delay. Nonetheless, they are alert for their own advantages.

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It will, therefore, be a fallacy to pin much hope on them that they can bring about the desired change. In their selfishness they remain busy among themselves.

This is evident from the empty package of relief by the present government. All we have had is just rhetoric which is not going to help our severely ailing society.

I was incarcerated for many years in several Pakistani jails during Zia’s martial law. For 12 months I was tortured and locked in a cage at Lahore Fort (the infamous Shahi Qila). I was not allowed to talk to anybody (the only person I could see was my guard), I had no reading material and no contact with anybody - even my family members.

There were many political prisoners in the Fort kept in inhuman conditions who went through nightmarish torture for 11 years of Zia’s regime from 1977 to 1988. Several were executed and many did not live long after their release.

Ms Benazir Bhutto, as Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988, threw their sacrifices in the dustbin of history and awarded medals of democracy to those who were their erstwhile tormenters-the perpetrators of worst human rights violations. Some ex-prisoners were harshly treated and baton charged while holding a rally in Islamabad.

I often wonder: how can those occupying the seats in parliament as the people’s representatives, who have not earned a single day’s bread in their lifetime, fathom and solve the real issues haunting the masses in their day to day lives? One needs life experiences to understand the common man’s problems.

The election games that the ruling classes play among themselves are no more than gambling. No sincere and right thinking person has the courage and the money to jump into this kind of election fray, which is devoid of real manifestoes and has an absence of meaningful debate on issues directly affecting the lives of common man.

The political history of Pakistan is witness to the fact that, each time, when the people manifest their strong desire for a peaceful political change, the “mock” elections, which have nothing to do with people’s representation, are held. In this way the people’s wishes are subverted by both politicians and military rulers: then the countdown starts again until  the situation once more comes to a head and the rulers are challenged. So the cycle continues.

The system does not allow people to participate in the decision making process. Consequently, democratic culture cannot take root in our society and the people have no real choice but to elect the representatives they believe can bring the most urgent change.

It is unthinkable in 21st century that a teenage boy studying at Oxford and knowing nothing about Pakistan could be the head of our main political party. The people of Pakistan, no more than slaves, have been bequeathed to him. The media and the civil society activists should come forward to challenge the hold of a few families on our politics. The corrupt are carefully assembled in the top committees of our political parties and their rubberstamps approve all the undemocratic decisions taken by the party heads.

Working people rely on mirage-leadership time and again. It is relevant to note that Peeri-Mureedi culture (worshiping of graves) practiced by our elite and copied by the common man has deep penetration in our political culture. Historically, Pakistani society’s cultural traditions have reinforced its faith in power and authority as a solution of all problems.

This is reflected in our daily dealings with each other in the way we ask for favours directly from authority, or through our elected and influential people, rather than on our own behalf. The prevailing feudal value system of submission and loyalty in our society, which suits the ruling clique, needs to be uprooted.

In conclusion, the concerned citizens of Pakistan need to wage a campaign to awaken the people from their slumber to realise their potential and to wage a struggle for their rights, under their own leadership and banner. Success appears to be certain as forces of change are fast emerging on the political horizon of Pakistan.

I challenge all the frontline leadership of Pakistan People's Party for debate on any TV channel questioning their ability to find a workable solution of myriad problems faced by the toiling masses whose wealth is being squandered by “Mandela” and his cohorts.

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About the Author

Muhammad Aslam Naru PhD is a Fulbright Scholar, a Prisoner of Conscience during 1982, Amnesty International Member Central Committee of the Pakistan People’s Party (Shaheed Bhutto), an ex-member of the Central Executive Committee, Pakistan People's Party, and the Pakistan Delegate to the United Nations 31st General Assembly Session 1976.

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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