The tragedy of Pakistan and the cause for all the ills that afflict is lack of character and integrity within its political elite and those at the top of its military and bureaucracy. When ethics, morality and respect for rule of law are not considered vital virtues for leaders, then such nations end up in trouble like that which confront Pakistan today.
Our politics is dominated by street smart men, for whom Machiavellian style was the choice to rule successfully. Politics for them is like a game of chess and winning it and retaining power at any cost, and with any means is the sole objective.
While these politicians, generals and bureaucrats went from rags to riches, the country has become bankrupt. Nations are made by the people that live in it and not by strength of its army, or the uneven distribution of wealth in it. No nation can survive if the rich are not taxed and the state takes care of welfare for most deprived sections of society.
From the intervention by an over-ambitious and self-centred dictator Ayub Khan, followed by other soldiers of his kind, men like Ayub and Zia, each more worse than his predecessor, they all lacked integrity and commitment to understand the vision of the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
These dictators created a horde of political opportunists that have ruled us by default. What we fail to understand is that loyalty to your country has to be visible by acts and deeds and not by claims or mere rhetoric, nor by your religious practices. There were many a religious leader who thought it appropriate to pledge their loyalty to the British colonial power.
On the other hand, Quaid was a man of character and a good human being, who chose to lead a nation for an uphill task with no immediate worldly gains for himself or family other than pride in his role for creation of a separate homeland for Muslims of subcontinent.
The destiny of this country has for decades been decided by those, whose commitment to it is in doubt, because they have either assets located abroad, or their immediate families, with their consent, have acquired foreign nationalities or immigration status, making them culpable to succumbing to pressures from these foreign governments.
The Quaid didn’t blink an eye when he made the choice to give up his favourite house built at Bombay, while those who have benefited from this country are hesitant to relocate their assets to Pakistan.
Remember Jinnah too had a choice, which many others, like Sikandar Hayat, Maulana Azad, Nawab Muzaffar etc chose when they pledged their loyalty to the Raj and sought offices of comfort and immense assets, instead of being part of the movement for seeking an independent nation.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore