Jinnah’s Pakistan

A welfare state it was to be
In one general election after another, the common man has rejected religious parties and voted those into power who were supposed to turn the country into Jinnah’s Pakistan. So as far as the common man is concerned there is no need to hold a referendum on the issue. Instead of resorting to the gimmickry of the sort, the political parties which have been in power need to ask themselves what they have done to fulfill the common man’s expectations of a democratic, modern, and inclusive welfare state visualised by the founding father.
One can maintain that since there was no general election till 1971, those who assumed power after Jinnah’s death – the fake coins, as he called them – wasted a decade in intrigues. But what about those who came to power after 1988 and 2008? What steps did they take to remove the deformities in the system introduced by Zia? The military dictator had introduced radical changes in the educational curriculum and the laws of the land to create a lobby for himself. The narrative introduced by him in the name of the ideology of Pakistan reiterated that the country was created only for those believing in Islam. That minorities were untrustworthy and were to be treated as second rate citizens. It was maintained that Pakistan was under siege and could only hope to survive as a national security state where army directed the affairs of the country. New laws that militated against the minorities were enacted.
From 1988 to 1999, political parties fought against one another in a no-holds-barred contest instead of reaching a one point understanding over undoing Zia’s heritage. Even after 2008 elections, there is no understanding on the issue. One cannot fight militants if violence continues to be practiced as a policy instrument to achieve political aims. Some of the parties collaborate with extremists and reach electoral understanding with them. While Jinnah wanted the country to be a welfare state, neither the PPP and its allies nor the PML-N have made any move in the direction. Poverty, the mother of all forms of extremism, continues to increase. With the madrassas flourishing and spreading xenophobia and the government schools deprived of basic facilities, extremist ideas are bound to gain ground. What is needed is raising more taxes and reducing the defence budget to be able to direct many times more funds to the social sector and poverty alleviation programmes. This is not possible with a policy based on reconciliation with all. Instead of being driven by political exigencies or seeking cheap popularity, governments have to practice good governance. Political parties have to shun the religious zealots who did not believe in Jinnah’s Pakistan before 1947 and do not subscribe to it even today.