Not Quaid’s Pakistan

For Pakistan to survive, Quaid’s legacy must be restored instead of mere rhetoric. On 11 August, 1947, while addressing Constituent Assembly members, Quaid tasked them to “adopt a provisional constitution for federal legislature of Pakistan” and stated that the “first duty of a Government is to maintain law and order, so that life, property and religious beliefs of its subjects are fully protected by the State”. He emphasised that the “biggest curses from which India is suffering are bribery and corruption that really is a poison. We must put it down with an iron hand”, and then he added that the “black-market is another curse”. He further stated: “A citizen who does black-market commits, I think, a greater crime than the biggest and the most grievous of crimes.” In Quaid’s opinion they “undermine the entire system of control and regulation of foodstuff and essential commodities, and cause wholesale starvation and want and even death.”

Those who held power after his death, politicians and paid civil or uniformed bureaucracy, collaborated to prevent drafting and finalisation of constitution because they witnessed that India after breaking sublimation to British dominion went on to cancel vast allotments of lands and titles, given as bribe to those who had supported British Raj and opposed liberation. Intrigues of paid bureaucracy and remnants of Raj, such as Unionists went to institutionalise corruption by regularising irregularities. Today biggest the land mafia don holding clout within bureaucracy, establishment and political elite openly states that he puts wheels on files to expedite and extract decision favourable for his commercial interests, and yet state with all its apparatus fails to take action against this confessed bribery.

The tragedy is that numerous media persons portray him as philanthropist instead of villain and criminal. For the sake of political exigencies, various elected political governments and military dictators like Zia and Musharraf allowed private militias to be formed, openly engaged in crime and extortion, creating criminal economy reaping profits of hundreds of billions which are siphoned out of Pakistan for these mafia dons and their families living in Dubai, UK, Canada etc. The bitter truth is that there were numerous Muslims both from Muslim minority areas and living within the territory who opposed Pakistan. The East India Company has been replaced by brown opportunists who have either pledged oath of loyalty to another country or attained residential status with almost all assets located abroad to misgovern and plunder Pakistan. Rule of law alone can protect state sovereignty and lives, honour and property of citizens.

MALIK TARIQ ALI

Lahore