Increasing number of landed aristocracy in the Pakistani political leadership, in connivance with civil-military nexus, it made impossible any meaningful land reform to take roots.
Resultingly in 90% rural population is being practically disenfranchised, becoming poor, illiterate and most backward part of our society.
After more than half a century, our leaders are worrying over the rampant poverty and illiteracy in rural Pakistan.
And that too because the international donor agencies are reminding them of their responsibilities towards their compatriots, who are the backbone of our economic base, and are mired in abject poverty and helplessness, although these same poverty-stricken rural people fill the coffer of the landed aristocracy with their hard work.
Our elected Prime Minister ruled out any discussion on land reforms by denying the presence of large land holdings due to the divisions of lands among the family members, according to the laws of inheritance during past fifty years!
Maybe the size of land holdings decreased, but the hold of landed aristocracy over the political life of rural population is intact and increasing.
This can be verified by going through the list of new entrants to the provincial and national assemblies.
The division of landed property among the feudal family members has only increased the number of absentee landlords, who are even less interested in welfare of the land and the people living there.
They are only interested in money that comes to them every crop time without doing any worthwhile work.
These young scions of feudal families have also inherited their seats in provincial and national assemblies.
People of rural Pakistan are considered their 'vote bank' (a lifeless entity or perhaps some useless plants!)
Most of these young politicians are oblivious of the fast changing world scenario, its impact on our poverty-stricken country.
They claim to represent an almost forty percent people living below the poverty line, backward and illiterate masses living in rural Pakistan.
The question arises, how the members of these feudal families, who have been the reason behind the poverty and miserable conditions' prevailing in rural Pakistan today, can bring any improvement in our rural society?
One wonders, had there been free educational facilities available in every village and town, would the poor people have sent their children away to the Madrasas, mushrooming all over the country?- Or had our successive governments of the ruling elites provided for the health facilities in every nook and corner of the country, would our country be facing the time bomb of unmanageable population growth?
Here I like to mention about a few doctors of Karachi, working as a team to provide free health facilities to the people of adjacent villages of Thatta district, found after a few years, since due to the easy access to medical help, mortality rate decreased among the children of the villagers, they opted for the fewer children and family planning.
The NGOs were working in early 90s by the name of Al-Fallah (may perhaps be working even now).
This shows that people are not unaware of the benefits of education or planned families; there are no facilities available nearer their homes to make use of.
In case our present political and financial managers do understand the importance of improving the prevailing miserable condition in our rural areas we need to make some sincere efforts to minimise the strangling impact of feudalistic political hold over the rural population and help emergence of a strong rural middle class.
(1) By reviewing the tenancy laws, making them favourable for the tenants.
(2) By improving the law and order situation in our small town and villages.
(3) By providing health and educational facilities in every village and town.
(4) By reducing the pauperising impact of absentee landlordism on rural economy, and give a larger share of the crop to the tillers of the land to improve their lot.
(5) Transportation plays a very effective role in the life of poor peasantry not only to bring their perishable produce to the market on time, but also allow them to get proper price for their labours.
(6) Protect the peasantry from the unscrupulous merchants of adulterated inputs and make arrangements on time for bank loans, certified seeds, storage facilities and save the peasantry from panic selling of their produce.
The lawlessness prevailing in the length and breadth of rural Pakistan is no secret, some very shameful incidents have been reported in the national and international Press.
Mostly people in villages and small towns are left at the mercy of local strong men, who operate in the absence of proper law-enforcing machinery and a strong and comprehensive magisterial set-up in our rural areas.
People suffer injustices at the hands of weapon-wielding mafias, operating as Punchayats with impunity.
To enable the local people feel safe and secure in their own environments, it is important to provide a safety net of policing and judicial infrastructure, that must be made responsible and answerable for the maintenance of peace and security.
Most people migrate towards cities and larger towns leaving their hearths and homes behind to find safety and security.
People in the corridors of power must think about lessening the most negative impact on rural economy of absentee landlordism.
The absentee landlords take away 50% or more of the wealth produced by the poor people of rural areas, and spend it in large urban centres and foreign lands, depriving the local economy of probable reinvestment of the same in local trade and small and medium-size industries, which can create job opportunities for the local youth. And also contribute nothing in rural social sector.
The presence of large number of middle class farming families living on their farms can become a catalyst of change in the social and economic life of the rural areas.
A larger share fixed for the tiller of the land, would discourage absentee landlordism and help the emergence of middle income families living and working on the farms.
The large and strong rural middle class would diminish the scale of poverty in rural areas.
The rampant lawlessness, non-existent health and educational facilities, compel the families to migrate towards large cities and towns.
The recent mishap in Punjab near Bhakkar, the death of dozens of young students, reveals the misfortunes and hardships of daily lives in rural area, due to the absence of required facilities of education and health nearer their homes and proper transport system.
The death stalks on our dilapidated roads and continues to throw the rural families back towards abject poverty and helplessness.
By Providing better infrastructure of transport, educational and health facilities, creating an environment of security and justice through strengthening the police and judicial services, we will not only be tackling the problem of rampant poverty in our villages but also improving the living environment will encourage people to opt to live in their ancestral villages instead of migrating towards large cities.
Comments
Comments are closed.