As a Pakistani, who regularly pays tax, obeys the law, I am confused and at a loss to understand why our constitutionally elected or self imposed heads of state, paid bureaucrats and generals, violate constitution and oath of office at will and than claim that all this was done in national interest. We are a strange country, where elite consider it their privilege to break laws, violate constitution and protect criminals, murderers, rapists and usurpers. It is a state that provides welfare only to its paid servants for doing what they are employed for, instead of offering subsidized housing, health, education, security to their deprived citizens in accordance with vision of a democratic welfare state of Quaid-i-Azam and Allama Iqbal.
Revelations by Younus Habib and advocate Yusuf Memon, coincidentally both of whom were once affiliated with an ethnic party from urban Sindh, that Rs 1.48 billion was withdrawn from nationalized Habib Bank and huge amount disbursed by Mehran Bank CEO to serve what former President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Gen Aslam Beg and his DG ISI perceived to be in the national interest. Only Rs 340 million were disbursed to dirty civilians, while the rest was pocketed by individuals and welfare trusts, with no benefit accruing to the common man, who it seems is destined to be lied to, by the elected and unelected leaders of this country. We were told that martial law was imposed in 1958 and One Unit formed for national interest, followed by military actions in former East Pakistan and Balochistan of course in national interest, as were the martial law imposed by Zia. Musharraf and all that they did, including the NRO and allotment of millions of acres of land to individuals for services rendered to the state. Somehow thousands of citizens of Pakistan go missing and are found dead, while we are supposed to digest all these brutalities for sake of our national interest.
As a Pakistani I am waiting for the day when serving poor deprived masses, or offering benefits to tax payers will ever be done in the national interest. When will Pakistani state consider it their obligation to punish those who rob the state, evade taxes, enforce rule of law, stop flight of capital and offer to people a safe reliable rail and road public transportation system, as is done in other civilized nations.
MALIK TARIQ ALI,
Lahore, March 11.