MYOPIA. I liked two things about Dr. Maleeha Lodhi’s article “A dialogue on Pakistan’s future challenges” which appeared in yesterday’s “ The News” ( October 21 , 2014 ) . 1. Most delegates put their faith in Pakistan’s burgeoning Middle Class. Country’s entrenched privileged Elite remained a barrier to reform. 2. My intervention ( Dr. Maleeha Lodhi ) that Pakistan is already the world’s most over-diagnosed country . The language of the article as well as of the conference as transmitted to the readers of the newspaper was high flown almost ethereal . The invitees must be past and present diplomats , officers of the State Department , World Bank and the IMF. I am sure some federal minister must be attending it. I am not a scholar or an expert in any field . I was a generalist jumping from one posting to another . However I do know that the people of Pakistan are aware of the problems facing as well as their solutions . The basic problem is that they have no means of solving these whereas those who have the means are not interested or unwilling to do so . Thus we don’t need any high priced expertise . To give an illustration . The late Ashfaq Ahmad was a speaker at NIPA , Lahore ,when I was attending a four months course . He narrated an incident involving a dialogue between him with an old man concerning his helper who was also his grandson. The topic was the youngster’s education . The old man retorted that the unlettered have not done much harm to Pakistan as the educated ones did . This may be disputed . Another example was the public meeting arranged for the PPP , formerly a party of the poor , the other night . Regardless of the impact for the party or its opponents , the expenditure of Rs 120 crores , according to the BBC News figures , was colossal . It is the Sind Government who would pay the bill of course through taxes . In turn , the Federal Government will either approach the IMF or other donor agencies or resort to deficit financing that is print currency notes . Each day brings out the Government , whether Federal or Provincial , wasteful expenditure . The Karachi event was not unusual . The governments exploit all the resources they have at their disposal . From the days of Field Marshal Ayub Khan and his “ Decade of Reforms “ onwards , they have been utilizing the services of the media . God knows how beneficial were to those ‘ reforms ‘who were or are low down the ladder . The economy has been lopsided . It is capitalist . In the markets , there is laissez faire i.e. free of all . The thinking was the trickle down affect . However heavy taxation particularly during the last government and this government with little no service provided to the consumers eg. electricity , gas and water are pinching the pockets of the common people . All steps taken during the past 67 years were against the wishes of Mr. Jinnah as we read from his papers and speeches . The only exception was the budget of the financial year 1985-86 presented by Dr . Mahbub ul Haq based on the investment in people i.e. education and health. Lack of communication between segments of society . There is a total lack of communication between segments of the society . The elite prefer to converse in English which the language of the rulers rather than the language of the proletariat , the common peoples’ language . Remember “ All animals are equal . But some animals are more equal to others “ ( George Orwell’s “ Animal Farm” ). The society in Pakistan has been designed in such a way that it has no room for growth especially for the poor . The son of a cobbler is destined to take his father’s place as a cobbler . The daughter of a poor man must marry a man twice or thrice her age or a minor otherwise they will perish. They are treated as outcast or a pariah in a Muslim country where Islam is the religion of the state . Islam teaches us that all born equal . The Last Sermon of the Holy Prophet ( Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him ) is the finest testimony of the rights of man given by Allah and enshrined in the Holy Quran . Regardless of it , the society developed different strata . To illustrate an unequal educational standards and unequal living standards . There was a time when the rich lived in Murree or Niathiagali in summers . They now prefer to live abroad and wear clothes purchased outside . This means the rich prefer to maintain their distinct lifestyle of not associating with the common folks , serfs , the haris , the kammies . Obtaining justice is a herculean task .Generations after generations are lost in this trying affair because of the presence of the Anglo Saxon Penal Code . During the past two months , Imran Khan and Taher ul Qadri have made efforts to rouse the people . How much their efforts permeated to the lowest strata of society who are without access to the media remains to be seen ? Mahfooz ur Rahman Islamabad October 22 , 2014
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 10:36:35 +0000
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