Often it is questioned whether Pakistan's culture is ancient, modern, eastern or western. I would say our culture emanates from agriculture as a major percentage of population lives in villages and are occupied with farming.
Even those who have migrated to the cities and towns have their roots in rural areas, lack education and are tradition bound, and remain tied to the umbilical chord of tribal instincts in the matters of social intercourse.
Notwithstanding all the industrial development Pakistan is essentially an agricultural country. 65 to 70% of our GDP comes from cultivation of land. In the early years of our existence we survived because we produced enough to feed the people.
Right from the beginning export of raw cotton sustained the struggling economy and even today manufactured cotton is the main exchange earner. As the time passed and population increased production of food grains - wheat and rice - has kept pace.
On the subject of agriculture there is an ongoing debate about the distribution of land and the plight of small growers due to large holdings by absentee landlords under the feudal system. In the time of General Ayub Khan as a result of drastic land reforms the ceiling of maximum holdings was brought down.
Subsequently democratic Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was expected to abolish feudalism lock, stock and barrel.
But he failed to do so as he himself was one factually and temperamentally. Subsequent governments too including the present one have not addressed the problem.
Why? Historically those who rule the country - may they be kings, warlords or elected officials at the helm - are masters of vast tracks of unclaimed land within their jurisdiction, which is apportioned in large and small quantities to individuals by way of political or other favours. I understand in Pakistan most senior military generals are allocated 2000 acres of agri-land for alleged meritorious services rendered.
Normally it is maintained that in Pakistan due to age old traditions, holding of land is concentrated in the hands of a few absentee landlords depriving the actual tillers of fields of the right of ownership and therefore are compelled to perpetual labour and poverty. These owners of land are generally called "feudals".
Our impression of feudal lords is derived from T.V. serials, which paint them as rich exploiters of the poor haris, arrogant, unjust, zalims and idlers. They live in havelis with unlimited domestic staff treated as slaves with power of life and death over them.
They do not believe in women's rights, dominate over wives and daughters, keep mistresses, and keep them segregated. It is alleged that they consider themselves above the law of the land and can get away with murder because local police and government officials are in their pockets.
I am afraid this picture is not entirely true. Firstly with the passage of time the number of big landlords has been reduced considerably.
The younger generation amongst them go for higher education and on return to the land behave more responsibly with a degree of enlightenment. Many of them care for the sharecroppers who cultivate the fields and extend assistance to them in case of need.
Economic experts believe that while feudal system may have its faults but on the whole it has worked well in maintaining the growth of the agriculture produce.
The reasons being that due to financial support (their own and borrowed) available, they are capable of taking advantage of modern farming methods by way of machinery, fertilisers, better quality seeds etc which individual small landlords cannot afford. The feudals, therefore have worthwhile role in the agriculture policies of Pakistan. However the system produces Chaudhrys, Mirs, Sardars and Nawabs who monopolise politics of Pakistan leaving no room for less affluent but more intellectual starta of society in democracy.
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