In 1947 a new nation was founded, conceived in liberty, rooted in belief that all men are created equal before law. The Quaid firmly believed in what T Roosevelt stated "No man is above the law and no man is below it, nor do we ask any man’s permission, when we ask him to obey it”. We claim to be followers of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), but other than lip service to his teachings, we have allowed hypocrisy, injustice and institutionalized corruption to gain roots within our paid civil and uniformed bureaucracy, and instead of supremacy of constitutional rule, we have a unique system, where individuals prevail over laws and plunderers of state assets and taxpayer funds get away scot free, while criminals manage to escape accountability on excuse of political reconciliation and unfounded ego of institutions.
The Quaid termed corruption and bribery a curse that we inherited, which must be dealt with an iron fist. Instead what we have today is a state facing turmoil from within, where rampant corruption oils the engine that drives terrorism, sectarianism, religious fanaticism and ethnic violence to nurture, threatening the very foundations on which Pakistan was created by our founding fathers. What can be more pathetic for a country founded by men of vision like Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal, than despicable reality that usurpers like Ayub Khan, Yahya, Zia and Musharraf still have many supporters. They believe that heinous act of subverting 1973 Constitution and trial of usurper who twice trampled constitution, ridiculed our judiciary and was responsible for promotion of politics of violence and providing sanctuary to foreign terrorists, must not be proceeded with.
The sectarian violence and senseless killings in Rawalpindi on Ashura, an event commemorating martyrdom of Prophet’s immediate family, who laid down their lives in pursuit of principles, became an ugly occasion for killing Muslims, burning Mosques and Imambargahs, with each group brainwashed to believe that they were waging a holy war. This is what happens when governments fail to uphold supremacy of constitution and state institutions tasked to provide security to citizens, start making compromises, headed by men with no stakes, indulging in rampant corruption and by their political impotence help anarchy to prevail.
MALIK TARIQ ALI,
Lahore, November 24.