I have yet to hear an anchor denying the satisfaction to his guest by presenting the real and true picture of the “Mandate” they claim to have. All party representatives insist that they have the backing of 17000000 people. Most of the leaders claim that they are the true representative of the “Awam”.  Again, none of these awam lovers would ever dream of giving up the extra-ordinary perks and privileges they enjoy as members of our awami “National Assembly”. If some scandal concerning these awami MNA’s ever comes to light, the spoke persons of their respected parties unashamedly defend them on the electronic media. Many so called “Experts” pass their comments; supporting the viewpoint of the people they believe most eligible to be their “leader”. In their blind support and admiration, they tend to ignore the oft repeated “mistakes” made by these leaders. When the nation faces a grave threat, some sort of nonsensical diversion is created and one by one all networks hold programs to highlight the problem. The real issues are thus completely forgotten, and by the time the people come out of this miasma, the real issue has been swept under the carpet, and people are left in a daze as to what really happened.

All these things have been going on for a while now. Another anomaly which one cannot fail to notice is the attitude of some of the anchors. Some openly support a political party, and try to ridicule guests from rival parties, where one would expect total neutrality. Every person in our hierarchy is politicized. Of course all Pakistanis know that to reach the top post and occupy a lucrative position, one has to be a member of the ruling elite or pay through their noses to get a job in a Government Department. What we watch on T.V is just “Noora Khushti” and many of our media persons have joined the band wagon to support and promote this corrupt system, so as to take full advantage of the existing conditions. Please take note that over 75% of the people are quite indifferent towards the political conditions that exists in our country today. After spending the day working and trying to make ends meet, all they like to do is to watch Indian movies or dramas. All they know is that whenever there are elections, the rich and important people of their areas will pay them a visit, with offerings of food or money. Some will be nice to them, calling them “their people”. Some even make promises which the naïve people believe they may fulfill but are never fulfilled. But who cares, many of these elected representatives are on record saying how much they owe to these people, who they claim are now politically aware, and are able to make the right choice. Once they are part of the N.A, they conveniently forget these voters and concentrate only on the job on hand; making as much money as possible in an as short time as possible.

These Parliamentarians who appear as rivals on TV shows, who pretend to hate each others guts, who are ready to criticize every move made by the Government, very conveniently sit through the budget announcement about the unlawful increase in the perks and pays of the parliamentarians, without raising a single objection. Who then is being fooled? Who is suffering in this hideous game being played before the masses today? Pakistan and Pakistanis. Everyday, a story appears in the newspapers about the losses incurred by the

Exchequer because of some bungling done by someone in our ruling hierarchy. But who cares? A known felon is openly rewarded and gets a pat on his back. All you need these days is money in your bank, it is of no concern to anyone how this wealth was accumulated. Please note that the people most well off today are those belonging to one or the other political party. Even those people who claim to come from a middle class back ground, are at least ‘crore pati’ today. Simply because they have the benevolent hand of the Party Head, protecting their illicit businesses.  These existing conditions, coupled with corruption and nepotism have been the main cause of our woes. May Allah SWT help Pakistan. (Ameen)

The saddest part of this story is the total absence of Islam from the lower classes of our society. True in every small or large village, town or far flung areas of Pakistan one would find a mosque and a Pesh Imam. The kind of Islamic knowledge these Imams are giving to their followers is another matter altogether. How many of our great religious leaders know the practices being observed by these poor people? A large number of these poor people are able to recite the Quran quite well, rather quite fluently. But that is about all. They haven’t the slightest idea what the Quranic injunctions are or what they mean. The rituals that govern their marriage and death rituals are mainly taken from the Hindus. How can the learned Ulema and leaders shut their eyes from this terrible truth? How can they claim to be spreading the word of Allah when over 70% of the people are nowhere near to Islam? As a matter of fact, even those in the urban centers who are lucky to be learning to read the Quran properly, are reading the meaning and Tafseer of the book, haven’t changed their lifestyles at all. So, where my dear reader, is the religion of Islam today? No wonder the religious parties have no significant following in our country

Let me start this way. When our beloved Prophet PBUH brought Islam and Allah SWT declared it as the final and complete religion for the people, He had already laid the foundation for a perfect society. The Holy Prophet PBUH was a perfect man, as Allah SWT  had given him the qualities of Sadaqat (truthfulness), Amanatdari (to be answerable for other people’s possession left in His care) Dinyatdari ( working  to the best of one’s abilities) Quinaat (being content with whatever worldly goods one  has)  Nafasat (cleanliness), and of course Adalat (the dispenasation of Justice without fear and favour). He was a role model for all the people and for all times. The Shariat laws are very strict and often harsh. Why? Mainly as a deterrent to the wrong doers.  The shariat laws were implemented only after the  establishment of a society where most people were sadiq, amanatdar,  diyanatdar and just . But today one has to assume that the people dispensing justice are honest and fair, and possess all the essential qualities that make a good Muslim.  If the dispenser of justice has a question mark against his name then what?  What if  our religious leaders are deliberately leading us astray and doing everything that Islam prohibits?  What if  our political pundits are liars, cheats and frauds? Where do we stand? Can we claim to be living in an Islamic society? This is the story of most of the Muslim World today. True we do call upon Allah SWT not only five times a day, but almost always when we find ourselves in a difficult situation. Some of us even try to appear like Muslims,  and our conversations are regularly punctuated by the use of ‘Insha Allah’ ‘Masha Allah” and ‘Jazak Allah’ but that is about all we have left of Allah SWT . The practical side of Islam is visible and is being practiced by the proclaimed ‘enemies’ of Islam. Do we have any answers for people like Geert Wilders or for the claims laid by American and European magazines? Obviously not, even though we know that Islam ( if practiced in true letter and spirit) is a peaceful religion and no threat to the world. On whom do we place the blame of the mess we have created? Obviously on ourselves.

Speaking about Pakistan, we are nowhere close to a society that was given to us by Allah SWT. Why? The Pakistani society is divided along ethnic, tribal, sectarian and linguistic lines. The people have not only been  divided, they have also been deliberately denied education, only to facilitate our political and religious leaders. The majority of our people live in the rural areas where they cannot get  proper education. So what do the poor do? Send their children (boys and girls) to foreign funded Madressahs, where they get Quranic education only. What they are being taught in these Madressahs only Allah knows. All we know is that the Taliban are the products of these Madressahs. I speak against these Madressahs because one can never be sure of the kind of Quranic education that is being imparted to these children as it has only promoted hatred and ill-feeling for the followers of another sect. Whatever the Heads of Deeni Madressahs may say about their schools, it is from these very places that young boys and girls learn terms like wajib-ul-qatal, and people exceeding their Hudood. And it is from these places that they decide to take the law into their own hands and take whatever action they think appropriate. Of course, they are very thoughtfully supplied with arms to carry out their mission of implementing Islam, or for targeting their political adversaries. Our leaders both political and religious, have stopped thinking of these people as human beings. They are using them as human fodder to strengthen and gain political or religious mileage over their rivals.

There are theories and theories about ‘conspiracies against Islam’ and now of course against this wonderful system of governance they call ‘Democracy’. Sooner or later, a so called Islamic Party will announce a ‘Protest day’ procession against these ‘conspirators’ resulting in destruction of the life and property of innocent Muslims. Some of our very highly educated  and well placed people are not in favor of taking action against these bigots. The  Government, because it is politically weak and totally indifferent  towards its ordinary citizens, turns a blind eye from the actual problems, hiding its head under the sand and hoping that the  ‘bad time’ would pass. Well, it does, only to raise its ugly head whenever someone or the other pulls the strings.

Why are the Muslims facing this situation today? In Pakistan and in many other countries we are witnessing a resurrection of a new Islam. Today, in many posh areas of Pakistan, attending a’ Dars’ or taking Quranic classes is the norm. Ladies in complete purdah accompany their bearded husbands everywhere, especially in the most posh and expensive shopping centers, buying foreign made articles, eating in fancy outlets. But their behavior towards those who do not take a hijab or sport a beard is often rude, and in many cases insulting. Do you know why? Because they feel SUPERIOR. For although they have adopted the Islamic ‘look’ as they claim, they do not realize that they do not practice Islam. I, being a teacher, have come across a number of Ahadees where the Prophet PBUH has clearly admonished his followers about the vulgar display of their wealth. We were even told to see that the smell of the food we cook does not reach the house of a poor neighbor, lest they desire something they cannot get. We have too many ’schools of thought’. We follow not the path shown to us by Allah, but that of our self proclaimed religious scholars, simply because of  lack of proper education, both Quranic and worldly. The habit of deep and reflective thinking is totally missing from the majority of Muslims. We are not a “nation of Islam’ any more but are fragments of a once great Nation. May Allah SWT help us.

Immediately after Pakistan came into being, the people suffered great hardships to defy the world which in general believed that Pakistan would soon cease to exist. Whereas India had full support from the Western world, Pakistan had none. Despite everything, Pakistan made remarkable progress. Our beloved Quaid and leader died within a year of Pakistan’s creation, and soon after Quaid-e-Millat was also brutally murdered. It’s almost 58 years since his assassination, but most Pakistanis do not know about the whereabouts of his sons. He is the unsung hero of Pakistan who dedicated his life to the creation of Pakistan and gave his life for Pakistan. The next few years were not very pleasant, but somehow our country survived. Then came the era of the first Martial Law Dictator. I remember the happenings quite clearly. There were lots of apprehensions and fears, especially amongst the few corrupt people. Anyway, that was perhaps the golden era of Pakistan when we progressed in leaps and bounds. Pakistan began to be considered a model state, which had made remarkable progress. Its five year programs were taken and followed by many countries. I know my statement will bring down the wrath of a number of democracy-loving liberals who think that dictators have been the main cause of our country’s predicaments. But only those who do not want to face reality think and believe so.

During the Ayub era, PIA was doing great, PNSC was ready to make and launch its own ships, our railways ran on time, the industrial growth was also good and the best thing was that most Government schools produced good students with potential and ability who could be counted upon to lead and become useful citizens. But then, things somehow changed. Our people seem to be under a magical spell. As soon as the country appears to be on the path of progress, rumors from unknown sources begin to circulate, and quite a few people, whether willingly or unwillingly, spread them about, without any proper verification. Sometimes, the rumor takes an ugly turn, and most of the time, a change for the worse has taken place. Some rumors are still in circulation and have not been squashed. One is about our great leader, the Quaid-e-Azam, and the other which circulates from time to time is the effort to willfully destroy our Armed Forces. Forty years after Ayub Khan’s exit, the only institution that has some discipline and order left are the armed forces of Pakistan. There is no doubt that like every other institution in Pakistan, corruption has entered the forces, but it has still maintained its professionalism and discipline. As for the rest of the country, you can witness the corruption and chaos in every department. Why has this happened? Simply because I do believe in the existence of a group of people with “vested interest”. Now we have a situation where even educated people do not know what to do or where to look for. But we must pause and look around us, and think which phase in our country was good for us. Try and reason out why that was so. Then one can decide what is to be done. Pakistan must come first.

The people who blame the dictators, those who believe that a conspiracy has been hatched against the politicians need to think only of Pakistan. Think in these terms; what is needed to bring Pakistan out of the present mess? Suggest names of honest and straight forward people who you think can do some good for your country, About ten years back, Rehana Hakim in one of “Newsline” Editorials wrote that in a country with 16 crore people this is not difficult. Pakistanis need not continue to be depressed and dejected at the present state of affairs. Look around you for people who are honest and dedicated to the cause of Pakistan. When we decide to choose and select a leader for ourselves we would all come under one banner and start our selection process. The names that come to my mind are some of our younger generation parliamentarians like Marvi Memon, social workers like Maulana Abdus Sattar Eidhi, Ansar Burney, Syed Khalid Muhammad, founder member of ‘Take Back Pakistan’ and his wife Sabahat, Naila Salahuddin of ‘Shehri’, anchors like Zaid Hamid, Mubashir Lucman, Jasmine and Sahir Lodhi, journalists like Hassan Nisar, PJMir. There are reformers, great people like Haji Nazim, Jameel Yousuf, CPLC founders and Aziz Suharwardy. I am sure there are many more people that I do not know about and whose names I have missed out. But this is a start, a positive and welcome beginning for a new Pakistan. A Pakistan for you, me and everyone and for our coming generations. LONG LIVE PAKISTAN.

Mr. Zardari, too, in one of his first interviews as President said very passionately that PPP wanted Governance and NOT Government. All beautiful words, music to our ears at the time. Now these words are forgotten, buried under the rubble of many non-issues raised by friend/brother Nawaz Sharif. The media, which according to the Pippians was on the verge of being liberated by Ms. Bhutto, and is now fully liberated, has completely forgotten about these promises. Nawaz Sharif’s predicament was given more importance and coverage. The amount of money that is being spent on maintaining such a huge cabinet is being completely ignored. Once a Minister or MNA was on a talk show, and a caller put up this question to him, demanding an answer to the unlimited Government spending. The person very calmly answered that the Government spending came only to about 2 or 3% of our total budget. I wish the Government would swap their budget with the combined budget allocated to Education and Health. It might make some difference to the type of educational and health care facilities being provided to the common man.

Let me tell you some horrible facts which all of us tend to ignore or even avoid talking about. Watch any Pakistani TV channel; it caters only to the 30% people of Pakistan. The rest of the population does not matter. Talk to most people who run schools for the poor. They will tell you about their achievements, but not a single one can tell you that one of their students now holds a high Government post or has become a CEO of a multi National company. I am sure we would have learnt about it. It is sort of understood that the ordinary people do not matter at all. They are only to be used as human fodder. Look at the uses we have of them.

1. As students who are responsible for keeping our Madressah culture alive.
2. As Jihadis to be brain-washed, trained and sent to places where you would not want your loved ones to go.
3. As potential suicide bombers; brain- washed into doing the Jihadi Leaders dirty work / give their lives for the cause of Islam, whichever may be the case. It is even said these days that they are paid handsomely to commit suicide, an act abhorred in Islam.
4. To add to the crowds you want the world to see protesting for the cause of our great politicians, at a very nominal price, of course.
5. And last but not the least, to provide the cheap labor force we so much depend on to do all our menial jobs.

So, only a limited number of people can get things done in Pakistan. Even people like us, who are educated and reasonably well off, live in a kind of fear, which is growing and spreading like cancer in our society. The fear of break-ins, of mobile snatching, car thefts, cars being lifted from areas where no sign shows a No Parking Zone, or plain simple police harassment.

An anchor from Sama’a TV channel once started a sort of reform program, but now I don’t see any more such programs from Sama’a any more. May be the Electronic media has been told to toe the line, or they too have been given what every human being desires most in this world. I feel it must be the case as many talk shows these days are on non-issues. With few exceptions, most TV anchors or those print media journalist who are invited to these programs, go through an hour or so of rhetoric and that’s that.

Where is all this leading to? Now thanks to our media, even illiterate people know of promises made and broken. Their personal experience tells them that Policemen can be bought and sold. So they feel comfortable when they cheat the country by not taking out licenses for their motorbikes, or bicycles. Majority do not pay their road tax. And they feel happy when they break a traffic light, because beyond that they have no knowledge, respect or understanding of traffic laws. This holds true for our semi-literate lower middle class also. They too, avoid paying any taxes to the Exchequer. But their tax evasions and law breaking is a very minor thing indeed. All these people’s taxes put together may be less than the tax default of one of our great Money makers. The ruling elite, industrial giants, land owners and other rich people have the services of income tax practitioners who make it possible for these rich people to pay a paltry sum against taxes. So who pays income tax? Only a handful of fools who work in private or Government offices whose taxes are deducted at the base, or those middle class businessmen who cannot afford to pay for the services of these tax practitioners. We can safely conclude that our country’s resources our being used by a small segment of people who refuse to pay back an iota of what they receive. As far as the respect of law is concerned, they have none.

Can our highly paid Advisers and Government functionaries do something about this situation? Or are they going to keep quiet because of political expediencies? Or will they give their attention on increasing indirect taxes and putting the burden on the helpless people of Pakistan? Surely this is the only solution Mr. Tareen can think of. How can he expect our highly paid executives to make such a huge sacrifice, that too for the country in which they do not have any of their interests? Their houses, businesses, their children are all aboard. They can perform their jobs equally well while living out of this accursed country, where lawlessness and terrorism have taken root. So why should they pay anything back? While living in Pakistan, they are already taking such huge risks to serve the people who should be grateful for their mere presence.

Who do you think can stand up and change this situation? Can anyone try and bring back some balance in this lopsided society we live in? I don’t believe anyone can. These days everyone and everything has a price. Those joining the band wagon, whether an ordinary middle class man, a member of the media community (the better educated lot) Clerics or a common political worker, all have their eyes on the big and easy buck. One cannot expect the politicians of today to think beyond their families. Each leader has only one agenda, to promote and train his own offspring to take over from him. The result is the present day chaos. Their children are educated abroad, their mindset is already a feudal one. So they cannot, and I repeat cannot have any interest or love for the people of Pakistan. Pakistan itself has some meaning for them. A place where they come to rule; to implement their Western ideas and training; to live and behave as Kings; where the only people who matter are their families, friends and relatives. So what do you see in our country today? A take and run policy. Rule as long as possible, then leave when things become difficult. In this scenario, only Allah can save Pakistan. Those leaders who have come to serve have no love for it.