Pakistan was created by men of honour, character and vision like Quaid-e-Azam, Allama Iqbal etc, so that its citizens could enjoy security of life and property, freedom of expression and religious practice, free from threats. For any sovereign state to survive and prosper, all institutions funded by taxpayer must be there to solely serve people. This objective can only be achieved by supremacy of constitution, the edifice on which a modern state is built, defining role of every institution and holding them accountable.
Economic self reliance without which state sovereignty cannot be sustained can only be achieved through tax collection, investing in education and health to develop human resources, so vital for development. For five decades, we have witnessed a culture of institutionalised tax evasion, relying on financial grants from donors and so called friendly countries while encouraging massive flight of capital by few corrupt members of ruling elite, the establishment and business community. We have reduced to a state which is rebuked by an assistant to deputy minister of Gulf state openly while those who hold power in executive and establishment are slave to their insatiable greed for assets located in these countries.
Pakistan is engaged in a war, our troops involved in combating terrorists spread along length and breadth of our country, yet there is talk of sending troops to fight somebody else war in Yemen. Had there been peace and writ of state restored, Pakistan could have contemplated sending its soldiers to help restore peace but not when country is facing an existential threat to its existence. The terrorists that Pakistan is fighting against are demons we created by involving in proxy wars. Over $50 billion doled out to Zia-ul-Haq and another $20 billion given to Musharraf for our mercenary like role in other peoples’ war, have disappeared, gone into private foreign bank accounts but Pakistan has become poorer by the day, its industry shut down while hundreds of thousands of our citizens perished, fallen prey to terrorism. We tend to bargain our sovereignty for a few billions but are not willing to eliminate organised flight of capital ranging to $6 billion annually through illegitimate channels by land, air and sea, nor punish those caught red handed.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore
