This is in regard to the reports published by international agencies which evaluate the performance of various countries regarding fields such as democracy, education, governance, transparency, human rights, personal liberty, freedom of information, poverty, social justice, gender equality, protection of minorities, rule of law, economic growth, scientific research, moral standard, etc. Pakistan lags far behind other countries in almost all of the above criteria. The pertinent question, who is responsible for this pathetic condition? The people or the ruling elite? Or the political and government administrative systems adopted by our founding fathers? I think the major responsibility lies with the politicians, who after the death of Quaid-e-Azam, ignored his guiding principles. Belonging from feudal and landlord families, not having personally experienced the taste of hunger or poverty, politics either became a pastime for them, or, a way to gain power. They also allowed the army to take a share of the power by politicising it. The army generals, too, failed to put the nation on the track that was originally envisioned. Now the people have accepted that it is their fate to serve the rich and powerful and perhaps they are only born for this purpose in this Islamic land. 

ENGR. S. T. HUSSAIN, 

Lahore, September 13.