What Pakistan desperately needs is rule of law, not domination of individuals, families or even powerful institutions. Accountability should be across the board. Mere change of faces will not resolve colossal problems Pakistan faces. The House of Jatti Umra is not abode of angels, nor do they all reside in House of Zaman Park, lest we forget Zahid Ali Akbar. NS must be punished for corruption and perjury but so must others, irrespective of political affiliation or belonging to uniformed services or bureaucracy. When traders and corrupt dominate politics or hold public office, ethics of governance are sacrificed at altar of greed.
In a democracy individual are elected to work within confines of constitution, just like civil or uniformed officers are paid to do specific jobs assigned to them. It is when individuals assume roles not assigned and prescribed constitutional limits are transgressed, than abuse of power and rampant corruption occurs. Democracy as a mode of governance has evolved into a functional system.
Pakistan under dynamic political leadership of Quaid e Azam was created to be governed through its chosen elected representatives and not to be ruled by dictators. Those who profess that democracy is not suited to people of Pakistan are basically saying that Quaid was wrong and that Muslims are inferior in intellect or wisdom to Hindus. This country was achieved through constitutional political struggle waged by well-educated politicians with integrity and not through armed struggle. It was opposed by many loyalists of British Raj such as Unionists of Punjab and paid civil and uniformed bureaucracy trained by colonialists to occupy this country and serve interests of British government. In his 11 August 1947, the Quaid referred to this when he stated that biggest curses, which we inherited from India was bribery and corruption.
The unfortunate reality is that Quaid’s vision of modern democratic welfare state was distorted after his death to be a theocracy where religion was exploited by men of mediocre intellect and credibility, who bartered our sovereignty to gain foreign support and serve short term strategic interests of their masters. From Badaber to our involvement in Afghan proxy war, to our present predicament it is a sad tale of treachery from within. No sovereign country would allow its former public office holders, some of them with access to sole strategic nuclear deterrence, to seek refuge in foreign countries, get millions from foreign governments and still claim undivided loyalty to Pakistan.
Gull Zaman
Hyattabad
