Can Pakistan become a welfare state?

The debate that is going on in Islamabad at the moment is about the viability of the political state of Pakistan. That political economics plays a big part can be gauged from the history of Britain and Germany. In the 1920s they had important intellectuals that gave them the philosophical background to these two countries. For Britain it was Tawny with his three books [Equality, Religion and the rise of Capitalism and The Acquisitive Society] and for Germany it was Ropke with the Humane Society. Both these countries were devastated by the Second World War and therefore in dire straits. In other words these two countries mobilised knowledge. Broadly there are two kinds of visionaries in any country; those that are constrained and those that are not. The constrained visionary is a status quo individual seeking no change while the unconstrained visionary is one willing to try new things to improve a country's situation. Do we have the right mix of visionaries in this country? Knowledge that is given in articulate form but that is not implementable is of no use to any country. Neoliberal economics one was made to implement but who will implement neoliberal politics. When we took directions from the West on neoliberal economics we were doomed for we did not use our intellect. Now we will be doing the same in neoliberal politics [other countries advice already coming through].
What is the democratic and political intellect going on in this country or in any of the developing country's? The message that is coming out of the political system is vague and not of any substantive indication. It is true that N-league leaders are in this for the third time. Does experience matter? Is politics then based on experience? The logic of life is experience!! I will differ for governance each time is a new ball game and in these modern times one is in changing times. They [N-League] have never been able to complete their term of office. Was it the moral limitations that they were unable to cash in on their experience for their system of governance is again under threat by the long marches that have come to the capital? Do moral limitations matter in matters of state? Given the current state of the country and the morality imposed by the media there is no other way out then to be moral in dealing with the people of the country. Are these radical infirmities ought to be ignored? But we should have come of age politically and with all the infirmities that we have if only we had not lived in a world of denial and its flip side of egocentric politics. But all that is history.
This uncertainty will hit economics for sure and the macro figures in a tottering economy are not all that fabulous. The Islamabad version was that no demonstration will be allowed in the state buildings; viz Parliament, PM office etc. Buildings do not to my mind constitute the culture of state buildings it is the people within, that determine the effectiveness of the institutions. The fact that these institutions depend on their reputation is because of the instituter. So the leadership that is provided gives it the reputation that it has. Name one intellect in the parliament [National Assembly] that can hold his own intellectually. They articulate and delve in verbosity. I have yet to see the leaders doing any intellectual work and as a result they are entirely dependent on the bureaucracy and its loyalty to them. For this they have brought with them bureaucrats from Punjab where they were in power. Now the difference between Punjab province and Federation work is that the provincial bureaucrats have just not graduated in official work at the center. They are still what Americans will call 'lean shanks'. Loyalty is not to the individuals per se but to the state. So the human contrivances are lacking and the will to censor wrong orders from correct ones is wanting. Do the ill propensities out do the good ones?
If the elected government loses out in fourteen months, despite tall claims to experience then there is something inherently wrong in the intellect of this country. Can the political system prefer themselves so shamelessly and blindly to others that are more deserving. There has to be a moral audit of the system in terms of cronyism and in terms of caste and creed appointments. The inefficiencies that they germinate are responsible for most of our dilemmas. Inefficiencies multiply and the governance system becomes unworkable. Can the politicians sacrifice their own interests for the larger good of the community that they govern? This has led to inflation, to unemployment and to bad financial management. But these things do not hurt one as much as the destruction of moral values. The role of the ministers has been despicable. The TV talk shows that I have witnessed in the last three weeks are a testimony to verbal garbage thrown at opponents.
Pakistan's law of damages is weak and incomprehensible and there is no law of torts. The legislative body is unable to legislate. The legislature has not performed and has not delivered. I enquired from a former minister as to how many had read the constitution and his answer was 1%. Even that is an exaggeration. This status quo has to be measured against the unconstrained persons in society that do not take anything for given and feel that there can be improvement all the way. Nothing is absolute but the stagnant mind of the policymaker. The minute one takes help from outsiders for works that can be done by ourselves we are cheating the system of governance. This is the piggy bag system of knowledge. You ride on the shoulders of others. We have as Pakistanis come to a sorry state by not doping our own work. The West has made us dependent. The eastern wisdom required that we work on our terms is now being used by our policymakers just as they used the western systems. Dependent on the left as well as the right and this leaves me with the thought - can we ever get rid of our egocentric system and prefer the rights of the poor and others to our own luxuries? Or will the system serve the greed and the egos of the rich and the powerful. Are we corrupted by prejudices, artificial passions and social customs?
Can we work out our own issues and bring them to the principles of policy. Pakistan has a long haul and this is in all fields. Complacency and our inabilities to conceptualise for the long term may be a factor. But I refuse to admit to Dicey's concept of a myopic vision. Am I in a state of denial? So I have taken a different route to answer the question can we become a welfare state given our limitations? You have a more prosperous answer!!!