Change is an indispensable condition for mankind’s evolution and progress. It becomes even more imperative when the status quo is unjust, retrogressive, and obscurantist. Nations and civilizations, which lose dynamism or the capacity to reform, inevitably are left far behind in the race for human progress. Taqlid or unquestioned pursuit of age old practices, which have lost any relevance to the changed circumstances with the passage of time, is a sure recipe for civilizational and national decline. Islam, as preached by the Prophet (Peace be upon him!), constituted a protest against and rejection of the beliefs and practices of age of Ignorance. It was a call for return to the worship of Allah Almighty alone and for dismantling the unjust, retrogressive and obscurantist practices which were in vogue at that time.
The principle of dynamism or change is enshrined in the Islamic jurisprudence in the principle of Ijtihad, as stressed by Allama Iqbal in his writings. The rejection of Ijtihad was the fundamental cause for the decline of the Muslim civilization. It follows, therefore, that an essential condition for the progress of the Islamic civilization is the revival of this vital principle so that the Muslims, while remaining faithful to the fundamental beliefs and principles of Islam, are able to come to grips with the challenges of the modern times. It goes without saying that the acquisition of knowledge and the exercise of one’s mental faculties, on which the Holy Quran lays so much emphasis, are essential pre-requisites for the practice of Ijtihad and for progress in the modern knowledge-driven world.
An examination of the political, social, and economic status quo in Pakistan leads one to the inevitable conclusion that it is unjust, oppressive and exploitative. On top of that, a tidal wave of religious extremism and obscurantism is sweeping the country from one end to the other. Pakistani Taliban as the manifestation of this wave constitute a mortal danger to the survival of Pakistan as a progressive and enlightened country. There can’t be two opinions, therefore, about the need to confront squarely their obscurantist ideology and their extremist views. Our religious scholars and the media have a vital role to play in winning the ideological battle against religious extremism and obscurantism. Above all, we must reform our educational system to bring it in line with the enlightened and progressive teachings of Islam.
While all possible efforts should be made to engage the Taliban in a dialogue to meet their legitimate grievances and demands, and to persuade them to operate peacefully within the framework of Pakistan’s constitution and law, they should be dealt with an iron hand if they persist in their terrorist activities such as the one which took the lives of 20 soldiers in Bannu last Sunday. Of course, our intelligence agencies must make their own invaluable contribution to the neutralization of the terrorist groups operating in the country.
An essential pre-requisite for a just political and administrative system is the rule of law, that is, the supremacy of law and equality before law. In other words, all citizens must be treated equally in accordance with law irrespective of their position in the society. Everybody must bow before the majesty of law. However, it is also necessary that the country is governed through just and progressive laws and rules, which ensure the security, liberty and economic well-being of individuals, and the peace, harmony and development of the society as a whole. The prevailing system in Pakistan fails on all these counts.
Our system suffers from the absence of rule of law in general. We read and hear daily reports of the way in which the powerful and rich members of the society literally get away with murder by using their connections and wealth to their advantage. The weak and poor members of the society are generally denied justice. Their rights are violated with impunity. The culture of our police stations and the way our courts and legal system function do not generate confidence in the mind of an average citizen that he would get speedy justice. The high treason case of General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf is the latest example of the way in which the powerful in our society make a mockery of the rule of law. In the interest of the rule of law and to discourage military adventurers in the future, it is imperative that Pervez Musharraf is tried in accordance with the law for his alleged violations of the constitution.
Not only our laws are openly flouted by the powerful members of our society, but our laws and administrative rules also favour the elite of our society belonging to the senior echelons of the civilian bureaucracy and the military establishment, the superior judiciary, and the political leadership. The practice of allotment of residential and commercial plots worth crores of rupees at throwaway prices to the senior members of the civilian bureaucracy and the military establishment is a case in point. These allotments amount to loot and plunder of the nation’s resources by the privileged classes at the expense of the poor who are the real owners of these plots of land. Little wonder that there is growing inequality of income in the society with the vast majority of our people suffering from grinding poverty.
While getting all of these perks and privileges, which amount to legalized corruption, our elite do not pay the taxes due from them. It is nothing less than shameful that the tax to GDP ratio declined to 6.8 % in 2012-13 according to the Pakistan Economic Survey as against the average of 15% in developing countries. The resultant low availability of resources has led to growing indebtedness of the government and increasing dependence on foreign donors compromising our ability to adopt independent policies in the best interest of the country’s security and economic well-being.
A few other examples would suffice to establish the unjust and exploitative character of our administrative and economic system. According to the government figures, Pakistan spent just 2% of its GNP on education in 2011-12 as against the international norm of 4% and much higher figures in rapidly developing countries. The expenditure on health at the national level was even lower, being only 0.3% of our GDP in 2011-12. So much for the professions of our governments for their commitment to the welfare of the people! It was not surprising, therefore, that the UN Human Development Report for 2013 placed Pakistan at the 146th position out of 185 countries according to their ranking on the basis of human development index. We were, thus, placed in the category of “low human development countries”.
The foregoing establishes conclusively that our political, administrative, judicial and economic system is highly unjust, oppressive, and exploitative. The status quo must change if we wish to prosper with a dignified position in the comity of nations. This would require a thorough reform of the way in which our federal, provincial, and local governments function. Our leaders will have to reorder their priorities so as to assign the highest priority to the provision of justice, the strengthening of the rule of law, the acceleration of economic growth, and enhancement of the welfare of the people. Our elite must check their greed and predatory practices. The failure of our leaders and elite to do so may result in a national disaster. As the saying of Hazrat Ali goes, the government of infidels may survive but a government based on oppression and injustice cannot last for long.

The writer is a retired ambassador and the president of the Lahore Council for World Affairs.

Email:javid.husain@gmail.com