We read a lot about our Economic bankruptcy, adversely affecting the life of every Pakistani. I feel bad to say is it not a big question mark on our present political system to note that former five Prime Ministers of Pakistan, Shaukat Aziz, Yousaf Raza Gillani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Nawaz Sharif, and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, have become subject of NAB/NAB courts for alleged corrupt practices etc.

Is it not political bankruptcy? The Parliament should revisit our governance & accountability systems. In the given dark shadows of present political culture who would opt in future to be Prime Minister of Pakistan as this, every incumbent is bound to become a subject of investigation and NAB court trial. Regardless of whether this phenomenon was right or wrong, it has left many question marks on our present system and a common man is feeling low to watch these developments.

In fact, we are heading towards more bankruptcy as our national customary “moral reserve” of respect and care for each other are fast depleting. This great treasure of love and care for each other as one nation in fact was the real bond as to why our forefathers were able to get us an independent state in order to get out of the hate and discrimination experienced in the hands of Hindu majority and wanted the future generations to live with respect and honour in their newly born own country.

There was a thirst for a separate homeland which was created to give equivalent rights to minority Muslims, which were subjugated by Hindu majority of India, as the world witnessed in 1937, 1944-45 elections. Hindus of India never accepted Muslims as their brothers and fellow citizen and kept degrading them for they were smaller in number with their caste system.

Islam gives a very comprehensive concept of brotherhood that is based upon good behaviour with others and treating others nicely. And Allah said: “Hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. Remember the favour of Allah upon you, when you were enemies and he brought your hearts together and you became brothers by his favour. Surah Ali Imran 3:103”.

Gradually after getting independence, the clutches of greed and power hunger took hold of us and soon the factor of care and respect started vaporising making us forget our commitment to our forefathers and to our State. We have become least accountable to our country’s responsibilities, as the lust of personal gains has taken over our conscience.

Our Quid taught us the lesson of “Unity, Faith, and Discipline” and these three words are the complete national way forward for us and in fact it leads to the path of respect, honour & for rule of law. Unfortunately, we as a nation never followed the true spirit of these three words. He also said:

“The great majority of us are Muslims. We follow the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed (may peace be upon him). We are members of the brotherhood of Islam in which all are equal in rights, dignity, and self-respect. Consequently, we have a special and very deep sense of unity. But make no mistake: Pakistan is not a theocracy or anything like it.”

After getting a separate nation for Muslims he said the following words in an address:

“We have undoubtedly achieved Pakistan, and that too without a bloody war, practically peacefully, by moral and intellectual force, and with the power of the pen, which is no less mighty than that of the sword and so our righteous cause has triumphed. Are we now going to besmear and tarnish this greatest achievement for which there is no parallel in the history of the world? Pakistan is now a fait accompli and it can never be undone, besides, it was the only just, honourable, and practical solution of the most complex constitutional problem of this great subcontinent. Let us now plan to build and reconstruct and regenerate our great nation...”

It was the wisdom of Quaid e Azam who summed up his great observations both at the national and international level into his motive of Unity, Faith, and Discipline”.

We have lost the unity our forefathers laid down their lives for because of the cancer of blame games and hurtful abusive street language, which have dwindled our national traits and “reserves” of care and sincerity faster than our water reserves. This bankruptcy of our thoughts and sense of lake of unity is driving us to a point of no return.

The sense of care for each other is the real bond of unity and the nations have emerged as world powers having the same sense of care and concern for their nation by giving preference to their country and prioritizing their nation. Unfortunately, we lost one part of the country because ethnic wedge and this monster of ethnicity broke us into parts.

We are at present going through both ethnic and sectarian divide. The sectarian divide is successfully being used by our enemies and we witness the emergence of sponsored terrorists based on our religious divide. Why I gave the name of the Taliban as Zalman was because those so-called Muslims were cruel not only to Pakistan but also to Islam.

Can any Islamic scholar body guide us on how to finish this religious divide and how can we achieve our future national goals in the presence of this ethnic and religious divide?

Where is our national spirit of before 1947? Who will guide us towards our national preferences when most of the leadership instead of creating unity is busy in creating a wedge for own political gains for their votes and political point scoring is further deteriorating and destroying the fibre of unity and nationalism.

We as a nation, instead of providing relief to our fellow countrymen and brothers, causing more miseries and create the situations even worse for them. Our respect and honour for someone are now dependent on his social status and his bank balance. The central and middle leadership of our country are only committed to outsmart their opponents. They are not even a bit concerned to contribute to taking the country out of present crises.

As a nation, we have developed the habit of acting regularly against a respective opponent at all level and irrespective of their status. Let alone the cabinet, even the successive Prime Ministers of our country have been practicing to start to their day with media reports with a brief from bureaucracy accordingly as to how to punch hard his opponents for the rest of the day. It’s a total waste of his time, as his prime focus should have for better governance to resolve bigger issues.

The leaders who attempt to glorify their leadership with abusive language towards opponents must now put this practice to end. The responsible political code of conduct would not only reduce the ratio of political bankruptcy both in the public speeches but also foster the public holder of good character as per the injunctions of the Islam having adequate knowledge of Islamic teachings and practices obligatory duties prescribed by Islam as well as abstains from major sins; he is sagacious, righteous and non-profligate, honest and Ameen.

It is need of the hour that the articles of the Constitution dealing with the qualification and disqualification of a candidate/member for the Parliament may be appropriately amended to incorporate the use of abusive language by any holder of a public office as one of the grounds of his/her disqualification.

It is unfortunate that political and moral bankruptcy is pushing the political fabric in a dangerous zone and perhaps heading towards worse than the economic bankruptcy but contrary to the economic bankruptcy there is no recovery from the irreversible moral and political bankruptcy.

I pray that May Allah guide us to remain on the right path and keep my Pakistan safe and sound with our unity, faith, and discipline coupled with a sense of respect for our fellow citizens.

 

The writer is Chairman of think tank “global eye” & former Interior Minister of Pakistan.

 rmalik1212@gmail .com

@GlobalEye_GSA