October 1997, Pakistan
Author: A Socialist Correspondent
from Pakistan
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Pakistan, meaning a "land of the
pure", turned fifty this year. Looking back over the past five decades
of Pakistan's political history, a picture of utter hopelessness, disillusionment
and decay in almost every field, flashed into the mind. A land which was
carved out on the map of the world after enormous sacrifices were rendered
in the form of precious human lives stands today in utter contrast to the
ideals and goals which were promised by the pioneers of the Pakistan Movement
and which were so gullibly believed by the people of that time.
Recalling the promises about independence
and the high enthusiasm of the people at the time of partition 50 years
ago, the present anxieties about the way things are drifting and about
an uncertain future certainly cause dismay. Pakistan is almost on the verge
of being declared a "failed state". Public faith in the political leadership
has been completely eroded and the working class are not sure about what
they have to celebrate on the occasion of the "Golden Jubilee".
Pakistan has floundered from crisis
to crisis during its 50 years of existence. Over this period Pakistan has
been a hotbed for self-seeking politicians, military adventurists and a
corrupt bureaucracy, all of whom have played their full share in wreaking
havoc on the country's political and social fabric. More than half of the
country's lifespan has been under the rule of military dictators who in
their bid to stay firmly in power left everything shattered and utterly
ineffective.
Brutal and oppressive martial law
regimes have made the country pass through a furnace of afflictions, but
the civilian governments were no less corrupt. Every successive government
simply brought more miseries to a country which was already suffering under
the unbearable burdens of poverty, state oppression, and the worst kind
of exploitation at the hands of those whom they have voted into power.
The faces changed, the people's lot didn't. The policies which were framed
during the last 50 years have been ineffectual and no serious attention
has been given to the most pressing problems like health, education and
other civic facilities. Today, the situation has reached a point of no-return.
A country with a literacy rate of not more than 20 percent does not have
the right to dream of progress and prosperity. Pakistan may have equipped
itself with mass weapons of destruction and a powerful military, but the
great majority of the country are poor. More than 70 percent of people
have no access to clean drinking water, and about 70 percent of the population
live below the poverty line.
Pakistan's economic problems have
gone from bad to worse. Its per-capita income is one of the lowest in the
world. It is a debt-ridden country and has to pay enormous loans which
it took from the World Bank and IMF. Every successive government has borrowed
almost unlimited loans from these agencies at very high interest rates.
The result is that the country lies as a hostage in the hands of the World
Bank and IMF who dictate their terms and conditions at will.
To make matters worse every institution
in Pakistan bleeds from wounds inflicted by greedy and corrupt politicians.
According to a recent international report, Pakistan ranked second as the
most corrupt country in the world. At the same time Pakistan governments
have beaten the drum for holding criminals accountable for corruption.
But how can a thief catch a thief?
Today the people of Pakistan feel
betrayed and cheated. They didn't expect the kind of mess that has developed
over the last decades. There is a class of a few who have amassed enormous
wealth and monopolised all the resources while the majority remain in miserable
conditions.
Political dynasties have been established
and the same names appear again and again on the political stage every
time elections take place. Pakistan is said to have democracy. But what
is going on inside the parliament is a mockery of democracy. These "patriotic"
politicians have made themselves a laughing stock for the rest of the world.
The government machinery has failed to provide for the needs of the people.
The police are the lords of the land. They are at liberty to round up anyone
and implicate him or her on false charges. Recently extra-judicial killings
became an issue as hundreds of political workers and innocent people were
murdered by the state police. No-one has yet been brought to book. Pakistan
is a strange land where the mighty and powerful seem to get away with anything
because no-one dare lay their hands on them. The people of Pakistan have
become so fed up with their rulers that they have lost their hope and are
apparently awaiting some miracle to come to their rescue.
The widening gap between the rich
and the poor has frightening dimensions. The lava boiling within the inner
core of this land can explode at any time. The rulers have for a very long
time cornered or ignored the masses of this country and further testing
their patience might have disastrous consequences.
Many people are now questioning
the rationale behind the very existence of this country as the promises
given to the masses have not materialised. People are suffering due to
price hikes, corruption, sectarian killings, and an utter collapse of state
institutions. How can they now be expected to feel jubilant when they have
been denied the basic amenities like food, shelter, education and health?
The state apparatus stands to secure and guard the interest of those who
are the unquestioned masters of this land. The entire country may go to
the dogs. It may starve to death but it will not stir any emotion in their
politicians' hearts. These heartless monsters have played with the working
class's future for too long. Today all of them stand condemned at the bar
of public opinion and they have been stripped of their pretentious and
apparent supremacy. A time will come when they will face the wrath of the
people. Then their wealth and riches will not save them.