We should be grateful to Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri whose presence in Islamabad brought about a sea change in the nation regarding political substance. When we lost East Pakistan in 1971 the worry amongst those that had served there was who would bell the cat against Punjabi and West Pakistani Hitlerian doings. As a Punjabi we had taken a lot of flak from our East Pakistani friends and foes alike. So it came as no surprise when one of the anchors was interviewing IDPs as to what was the problem and then there flowed from them the abuse of Punjabis who would not listen to their problems and would not satisfy them either. It came as no surprise. In fact, I had suggested in one of the TV interview that Imran should not have any Punjabi advisors in KPK. There is enough grey matter in KPK to make PTI government a success. I have always maintained that loyalty is skin deep. It is always challenging to work with fresh blood something that he wants to see in the 'Azadi march'. The world of Pakistan belongs to the young and it is the young that Imran is targeting so successfully.
The trading class that is in the government at the moment (as against the manufacturing class) believes in lying, cheating and clever political policies. They would have us believe that the wisdom of centuries is not worth having as against their own version of principles. State machinery is to be used for their benefits. And they are conceited enough to press this as an argument. Aristotle was an idiot and so were the later pro-pounders of the principles of conflict of interest. I can take on any challenge on this on TV to prove my point by evidence. The scions of political families think that it is their birth right to make money by all means. It will come to nothing for at the end of the day when you have earned nothing by hard work it will fritter away.
That aside the modern Pakistan is full of artificiality while the primitive Pakistan still holds to its old values. All this will change as every four years on average there is a flood in this country and the primitive become more primitive (if ever that was possible) and will eventually end up as primordial and then as Neanderthal man with nothing but a piece of leaf for a clothe. While the rich are speaking of everything under the earth the visuals of a man sitting on a charpoy floating on the flood river water strikes one as the human ability to handle adverse circumstances without the modern wherewithal for the protection and relief of the poor rural. The budget spending is for the urban rich and the urban poor also do not find any coverage. Look at the 2025 and the 2030 reports and the world of Pakistan will become crystal-clear to you. The world of the modern politicians is made up of selfish individuals. The values that have been inculcated are not relevant to the culture of the present-day Pakistan. Can we have an uneducated political leadership? You have one now? I tried to find out what they had paid to the consultants that prepared this report. But it seems that it is a secret that no one is supposed to know. It has nothing for the rural areas and none for the devastation that the floods will create.
For rural Pakistan and agriculture there is the shift from green revolution to gene revolution. In 1982 as Chief Economist to the government of Pakistan Planning Commission allowed a project of genetics. It has not performed despite 32 years. So after 32 years of non-functioning you can still be told by these idiots from abroad that gene revolution is the way to go because that would mean that the MNCs from the West can play hell with the Pakistani farmer and ultimately with the consumer. In their wisdom the Planning Commission has not worked out the cost of gene revolution. The cost will be borne in hard currency and will therefore mean more loans from the IMF.
The present floods have exposed the planning process more than anything. The dream of $8000 or so as per capita income is a dream that only the mentally-deranged can have for the indication is to the contrary. Have you seen the TV footage of the poor carrying their belongings to safety and what that means? Most of them have lost also those meagre means. We are a shameless lot; our politicians and planners and policymakers even more so. They hand out such lies that the people perforce accept them.
The role of thumb is simple. The more urbanisation there is the more will be the investment there and the consequence of that will be less need-based development over in the rural areas. Take a look at the infrastructure of the rural areas and then compare the stupidity of the mass transit system that the Sharifs have launched in the metropolis. As if life was not difficult enough we have had a system put in place that utilises the products manufactured by the Sharifs. The greed of the rich in the poor countries of the world like Pakistan is indicative of some mental aberration that is visible in the body politic. Imran has point but then Imran's point of view will be tested and then will we have a measure of not only his leadership but also his organisational ability. In KPK, I have authentic information that he has brought about a sea change in the attitudes of the place and his education and health policies are taking root. Khawaja saras (eunuchs) of the noon league need not be taken seriously for they are unable to handle their own actions and the connections that they have with primitive patwaris and modern patwaris (LDA-and other development agencies). How are they patwaris? They are patwaris because they are now dealing with lands in their areas through statutory regulatory orders (SROs normally used by FBR for import and export of items) banning anything that they feel that they own. We were going to build a college and bought some land there but we were told that the land cannot be used for anything and it would be better if we sold the same to the powerful scion of the family. The land between Ferozepur road and the railway line comes under this SRO. This is a huge junk where there new houses are located. I made this point over a decade ago that they have acquired this land without due recourse to law and that this amounts to land grabbing. The same is true of the circular system where land has been usurped by one of their henchmen Khawajas. If you have inherited assets worth one and half lacs how can you over a simple time period acquire assets worth billions of rupees. If they have formula for this while their henchmen are doing the needful why don't they share it with others and why should the purifying agencies stay in a state of rigor mortis. Under these circumstances what can the planning reports do even if they were the wisdom of centuries?
Can economics work under these circumstances and I would want the readers to make up their own minds. What of the trained economists from the world over? How relevant are these doomsayers? Why not call them doom doers? Pakistan needs eminent people and not prominent people. Do we know the difference between moronic, satanic and intellectual thought. Pakistan's decline has to be halted. Does the present political system have the wherewithal to use their minds and come out with policies that do the needful at the present - no more of this gimmickry and trickery? Should Pakistan set up an institution that takes care of mental corruption?
Comments
Comments are closed.