Our national corruption is the creation of a very complicated technology. The technology seems to be as complicated as the technology of the atomic bomb. The ordinary Pakistani is absolutely incapable of learning even the ABC of this technology. Only extraordinary Pakistanis are capable of acquiring mastery over it. Incidentally, some extraordinary Pakistanis have already acquired command over it and they have been using it passionately round-the-clock. No wonder, the country’s breathing apparatus is miserably malfunctioning.
Corruption is not specific to Pakistan. Corruption is an international demon. The demon has its business affairs in every country of the world. But the degree of corruption varies from country to country. In some countries, its activities are negligible. In some other countries, it is doing moderate business. But in most of the countries of the East, it is doing phenomenally flourishing business. Unfortunately, Pakistan belongs to the third category. Corruption and Pakistan have become synonymous.
If in a particular country, the demon finds it hard to operate, it curses its rulers. But if in some country it is absolutely free to operate as it fancies operating, it expresses its heartfelt gratitude to the rulers and prays to the devil for a long life of the rulers.
In almost every eastern country, the rulers are corruption-addicts. They regard looting the country’s wealth as their national obligation. The masses are granted full freedom to live on starvation and starvation-related diseases. For security reasons, the rulers keep their looted wealth in foreign banks. The banks regard it as their moral duty to keep their lips sealed about the black wealth. The rulers’ confidence deepens. They loot more money and keep pouring it into the foreign banks.
Corruption is a very shrewd creature. It knows that in order to thrive in a country, it must first corrupt the rulers. Once the rulers are corrupted, corruption acquires sovereignty over the country. Now the rulers can remain rulers only if they keep obeying corruption’s commands.
Under most of the eastern democracies, the rulers are phenomenally affluent and the masses are phenomenally miserable. In a country where corruption is the ruler, democracy is a goldmine for the rulers and Dante’s hell for the masses. If the masses under a democracy are miserable, they can get rid of their misery only by killing such a democracy. But if they can’t kill it, they shouldn’t mind being killed by it.
Our corruption axes the Quaid’s Pakistan into two parts. Unfortunately, the axe seems to be sharpening itself for a second hit. The masses are missing their heartbeats. But our corruption is laughing. The creation of Pakistan was the Quaid’s greatest gift to us and look how we are paying him back.
ZAIN ABRAR KHAN
Karachi
