Rana Eijaz Ahmad
Pakistan is striving hard for better prospects of life. The same script is underway when a civil government is working in the best interest of people and the other group trying hard to persuade the establishment that could be more loyal to them. A chance must be given to them. Since I have mentioned in my previous article, that in the All Parties Conference held on September 20, 2020, under the leadership of Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the opposition dealers (not leaders) were not delivering speeches, but pleading before the Pakistani establishment that if the chance were given to them, could perform better than the present government. Before the APC there were two meetings between the Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and the dealers of the so-called opposition party. They were trying to make a deal with the COAS against PMIK. The COAS denied any kind of help to stop the civil government and categorically announced the civil supremacy in the country. He (COAS) suggested, let the judiciary made the decisions. Initially, Maryam the PMLN spokesperson(I am unable to write her as a PMLN leader or dealer owing to her void of wisdom, attitude), told a blatant lie that there was no such meeting. Later she acknowledged, meeting held and both Mian Nawaz Sharief and Maryam Nawaz were discussed in the meeting. It was not the first or last time the PMLN got embarrassed, but another time sheer embarrassment for the PMLN followers.
The PMIK has to ignore these two families’ and have to focus on governance issues to make the country prosperous. The inflation issue is far greater than answering the interest groups on the roads. PMIK has to concentrate on the feeble economy of Pakistan. He and his ministers need to come out of their comfort zone and to work for the poor and common people of Pakistan. The middle class in Pakistan is diminishing speedily. Let me explain why the middle class is important for making any society or country prosperous. Before indulging in this debate, I have to explain briefly what is the concept of the class system.
Although, usually the concept of the class system is traced back from Marxian school yet it was there well before Marxian philosophy. It was not Max Weber or other sociologists who interpreted the concept of the class system.
In the pre-Islamic era during the classical realists like Aristotle and Thucydides, Greek society was facing the class system. Then the Muslim era, egalitarian and meritocratic opposing views were promoting class system and non-egalitarian views of the hierarchy used to exist in the society. Later Niccolò Machiavelli, in the 15th and 16th centuries and Thomas Hobbes in the 17th century, was interpreting human nature regarding the class system. Therefore, this class system was there at the outset of human existence. This class system is very much important in understanding society and its norms on different occasions. Islam always talked about the circulation of wealth and the west has been talking about monopolization under the umbrella of liberalism, mercantilism, or Marxism. I know that the eyebrows of the readers must rise when Marxism is connected with the West and monopolization. If anyone just considers three basic schools of international political economy; Marxism, Mercantilism, and Liberalism all give importance to an individual and state, territory, and no one can perceive any existence of state without any of the ingredients (individuals or territory, economy). Both Marxism and Liberalism believe in the intervention of the state and non-intervention of the state in market forces respectively. Mercantilism is another name of economic nationalism. Therefore, all three concepts talk about state and individual clearly, apparently with different connotations, but scrupulous thinking makes us clear that matter, of the fact is the believer of all three concepts intended to give way to their thoughts by eliminating the others but more or less gave same interpretations of human life. In the same way the human effort claims, there is no divine law prevails, but human law in the contemporary world. There is only one law in the whole universe, whether to go in the depth of jungles or plunge in the depth of the seas, that is the law of nature, might is right. Might when works with moral values prevail peace and integration in the world and if becomes immoral, it starts competition among individuals. It wages a war that ended at death as per Hobbesian Leviathan ascribed in the 17th century.
However, the class system in contemporary Pakistan is disturbed out of the monopolization of all economic resources at the hands of 40-50 families. They are not ready to distribute the economic resources among people, but want to grab those economic resources through power (might) and wish to run the government through the economic bridles. Who would have those bridles in his hand would control the authority and legitimacy of the government.
It is always a middle class that usually thinks innovatively and produces medical practitioners, law associates, entrepreneurs, and other skillful social capital. Contemporary Pakistan is lagging in economic resources because of the shrinking middle class in Pakistan. Different sources claim different percentages of the middle class in Pakistan. The average of those sources may be deduced as 25 percent estimated. Which is, unfortunately, taking Pakistan towards a dismal economic growth rate. PMIK needs to work with policy-making on priority and legislation is required for making the life of the middle class easier. With the approval of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) bill, the Pakistan Medical and Dentist Council were also replaced with the Pakistan Medical Council, raising many eyebrows, how the government can do such negligence at her discretion. It must be done after consulting all the stakeholders. Therefore, PMIK needs to be vigilant and make sure that all policymaking is going on under his nose while taking care of all pros and cons. ‘Vigilance is the price of liberty.’ Otherwise, PMIK has to suffer later because the previous governments were also doing the same things top tier remained aloof from the mainstream and the second tier of the government kept people in troubled waters through making unpopular policies. The businessmen and ministers used the parliament as an industry and invested the money during election beyond the allocated amount in the constitution, they needed to loot the public purse for their reimbursements with interest on their investment. It happened the same under the nose of PMIK, sugar, and petrol mafia looted the people and went away. The PMLN and the PPP were doing the same thing during their rule in Pakistan for more than three decades. The same allegations were repeated in the civil governments and military rules with the same script but with different characters. With these thoughts I got asleep and saw a strange dream want to share with you people here. I saw, before Musharraf, Pakistani establishment used to use all internationally recognized standards for ruling over Pakistan; Influence, blackmailing, displace and supplant. After the Musharraf regime, the Pakistani establishment started displaces the civilian government instead of supplanting, sitting back at fences, and controlling the affairs of the state owing to the low vision political pigmies. After the 2013 general elections, the establishment was well aware of the popularity of Imran Khan and shifted his mandate towards PMLN as the establishment was not ready to handle IK as a Prime Minister of Pakistan. Therefore, it decided to give him the next term after making the necessary preparations and confined him in the KPK. In 2018 general elections the PMIK assumed power with a very controlled mandateas the again IK mandate was looted to keep him in limits. The establishment needs to test him how he behaves while sitting in the government as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The establishment found him wise enough and more reasonable than the previous governments and decided to support him with open arms. It hurt all political pigmies around. All the media houses, judiciary, and other corrupt people who used to do corrupt practices; nepotism, kickbacks, bribery, and others like social evils during the previous governments. When they founded that the PMIK started the accountability. They started making conspiracies against the PMIK and did their best to make alliances with all corrupt interest groups of Pakistan. It made clear upon Pakistan that the establishment made the right decision in getting rid of old interest groups. The establishment needs an honest, sincere, wise civilian ruler who could save the country as well as the assets of the nation. The previous dealers have become a serious national security threat for the country. Therefore, their replacement was necessary. I was so happy with this replacement. The country starts flourishing leaps and bounds. It made me pleased. Suddenly, I woke up from deep slumber and saw around it was early in the morning. I started thinking about my amazing dream. I became sad, worried about the ongoing situation of Pakistan.
The Way Forward
After Fajar Prayers, I was again thinking about my dream. I believe that PMIK need not think about the two major ousted interest groups and their accomplices. He has to fully concentrate on governance in the country and make people’s choice the legitimate choice. It has become clear after the All Parties Conference’s pleading of Mian Nawaz Sharief and Asif Ali Zardari that they must be given another chance. It is my observation that after losing Altaf Hussian, the international establishment (IE) was feeling short of mannequins, could be used against Pakistan anytime. NS might prove as Altaf Hussain Plus for the IE. After losing his credibility in Pakistan the PMLN is playing its final match against the government of Pakistan as initiating protests which would be a total failure as people of Pakistan are clear about the corrupt elements. They have no valid excuse to throw out the government and all know very well that these interest groups just want to protect their looted money.
The PMIK has to redress the people’s grievances in time. He has no opposition and enjoying his government tenure effortlessly. Therefore, he has to redress inflation to give relief to the common person in Pakistan. He has to be proactivein managing the state affairs on emergency grounds. He has to activate the National Accountability Bureau for completing their investigation as early as possible. The Judiciary has to make decisions at the earliest. All the looted money of Pakistan and Pakistanis must be taken back from the thieves of London and Switzerland. All who are going to work for the IE must be sent behind bars to sustain the economy of the country.
— The writer is Host Director Confucius Institute Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab Lahore. He can be reached at [email protected]
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Lahore Mirror
