It is time that all stakeholders of the country, such as permanent state institutions, judiciary, armed forces, civilian establishment, media and political parties, all should undertake a process of reforming their own state of affairs and set a common goal.
The goal: How to make Pakistan a respected welfare state? How to change the present system?
Judiciary should undertake cleansing the lower judiciary from corruption and ensure the cases are decided in a specific time limit. The bar and the bench should setup a joint monitoring system to ensure the rule of law and dispensing of speedy justice and recommending the executive and parliament to change the laws as needed.
Defence forces should also undertake reforms which ensure that adventurous generals would not be able to misuse their position of power.
Military should handover foreign policy to civilian government and should only do its duty by fulfilling its basic responsibilities. It should disband media management and political wings in the ISI. No more role in politics, only a professional army to defend the country’s borders.
Civil bureaucracy recruitment system needs to be changed. The provinces should replace their Public Services Commissions with Human Resources Authority whose responsibility should be to provide the right man for the right job. No more political influence in postings and transfer of civil servants. It will be up to the Human Resources Authority to recruit, train and select the civil servants for various government departments and organisations.
Media can play an important role of awareness of fundamental rights of citizens as ensured in the Constitution of Pakistan.
Electronic media should do investigative reporting on corruption, performance of political parties, state institutions and projects in the talk shows. Political parties must establish democracy within their parties.
They must have elections under the supervision of Election Commission of Pakistan to elect their party leaders and office bearers. No more politics of confrontation and point scoring. Dynastic politics is damaging the growth of political parties. The leaders must hold local body elections and transfer power and funds to union level if they really want democracy in the country.
All politicians must bring their wealth abroad to Pakistan, it should be the priority number one for all national stakeholders to educate the people, eradicate poverty, corruption, nepotism, favouritism, and make sure that everyone is equal before the law. Only then Pakistan can become a welfare state.
S T HUSSAIN
Lahore
