Ever since Ghulam Mohd, Sikander Mirza and Ayub Khan decided to derail democratic process charted for this country by Founding Fathers Quaid-e-Azam Mohd Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal, this country has suffered in terms of massive rise in corruption, abuse of power, collapse of law and order, deterioration in human development index and politics of opportunism. We owe it to our shuhada, valiant sons like Aziz Bhatti and Shabbir Sharif, that their sacrifices and those of millions who lost their lives in 1947 while migrating, were not lost in vain.
The corridors of power and those in whose hands are entrusted policies, evolve development plans, define our foreign policy are dominated by men of mediocre caliber, who have proven that they lacked vision and commitment to this country, for most of them have chosen to abandon this country, shifting their assets and families to safer foreign havens, having reaped a bonanza while sun shined on them.
Pakistan has endured a series of martial laws, followed by political governments, both allowing elite to pilfer state, involve in institutionalised tax evasion, massive flight of capital and brain drain. A state where most influential and so called philanthropists are land mafia dons known for involvement in organised land grabbing, smuggling, insider trading and running criminal Mafioso style gangs involved in heinous crimes, is a state waiting to be reduced to anarchy that is exhibited in Somalia. Musharraf like Zia, Yahya, Ayub imposed martial law, but he crossed all limits when on 12 May, 2007, he stood in Islamabad and proudly claimed brutal killings of over 60 innocent citizens of Pakistan on streets of Karachi as a show of his force. By this act he brought into disrepute, institution of armed forces, creating a wedge between people and their army, which if allowed could threaten very edifice on which our national security rests. It is mutual love and respect between army and people, which gives strength to our valiant soldiers to defend their motherland, by being seen as guardians of security of lives of its citizens. On 12 May, 2007, Musharraf committed this cardinal sin, for which he must pay.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore