Why don’t we have our version of Anna Hazare, a religious Hindu who has launched a struggle to eradicate corruption in India?
Kisan Baburao Hazare, popularly known as Anna Hazare, is the face of India’s fight against corruption. He undertook a fast unto death in June to protest against the menace of corruption, forcing a populist awakening in the middle classes. This ultimately pressurised the main political parties to urge him to stop his fast after assuring him that they would bring concrete legislation to punish the corrupt within the ruling elite and bureaucracy.
Anna was forced to break his fast by the doctors who feared that he faces a liver failure. He has again threatened to launch another fast on 16 August, if immediate steps are not taken by parliament to bring everybody under the jurisdiction of a powerful independent anti-corruption body that enjoys constitutional protection. This has forced all major political parties to hold parleys to draft a law which can be passed by the parliament.
Anna Hazare is being visualised as a man who has stood up to wage a non-violent Mahatama Gandhi type political struggle against corruption. My question is why can’t we have a man from the middle classes, be he religious or otherwise, who can stand up like Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah or Allama Iqbal and launch a movement to eradicate corruption and give those caught red handed exemplary punishment which would deter others? Where are our religious elements and so-called civil society, who by their silence are abetting corruption?
While corruption may be a world wide phenomenon, in Pakistan it has assumed an evil force where political parties merge to protect the corrupt within their rank and file.
There is neither any shame nor remorse displayed by those caught plundering the state exchequer or widows, orphans and pensioners. Instead of being considered as a shameful sin, we had an MNA Qayuum Soomro who had the courage to stand up and defend his right to commit corruption, as if it were his long denied share of the loot that has been taking place in this country.
The manner in which our executive is abusing their authority to protect those involved in NICL, Hajj, Punjab Bank, Steel Mills, NHA, Islamabad land mafia, OGRA, PIA, Rental Power, NCL, missing containers, LPG etc scams reveals the intensity of this marriage of convenience between the powerful corrupt elite to protect each other.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore