Zia Sarhadi
Pakistan is not a state. It does not meet any of the requirements of a normal functioning state. Instead, it exists as fiefdoms controlled by mafias led by the thugs in uniform (aka the military or army). Plunder of state resources has been legalised through numerous fraudulent mechanisms. The masses continue to suffer as a result of the policies instituted by the gangsters who are accountable to no one.
Let us identify the mafias that have hijacked Pakistan’s polity. At the top of the political caste pyramid sits the army/military. Other so-called institutions or entities such as the bureaucracy, judiciary and politicians, most of them feudal lords, serve at their pleasure.
From the first day of Pakistan’s creation, these parasites have sucked the blood of the people. Dissent against their plunder or pointing out their failures are branded as treason. Supporting the army’s decisions, however, detrimental to the well-being of the people, are applauded and rewarded.
All state policies are formulated to serve the interests of the men in khaki. These semi-literate morons consume the bulk of state resources, directly and indirectly. This is not because they are smart. Since they have the guns and the goons at their command, they are able to terrorize others into submission.
Those that refuse to surrender to their whims are either thrown in jail or murdered. Journalist Arshad Sharif’s case immediately comes to mind. A Kenyan court ruled that he had been tortured before being killed in Kenya in late 2022.
Pakistan also holds periodic celebrations. One is the country’s “Independence Day”. It will be celebrated on August 14. One wonders what is there to celebrate. If the past is any guide, stirring speeches will be delivered promising to turn Pakistan into Switzerland.
The army chief, speaking in his tortuous English, will threaten to “teach the enemy an unforgettable lesson”. One wonders what “enemy” will he refer to? Mention of India, the traditional enemy, terrifies the generals.
Now they have turned their attention to Afghanistan and the bogey of “terrorist elements” operating from there. The army itself creates the terrorists in hopes of getting some bakhsheesh from the Americans to fight them. And of course, launching frequent assaults on the people of Pakistan to conquer them is also their favourite past-time!
Pakistan is not an independent country. It is held hostage to IMF bailout packages. The overriding concern of the elite is to not offend America, their real master. The country’s latest budget presented on June 12, 2024 reflected this slave mentality.
It was tailored to meet not the needs of the people but the demands of the IMF. It demanded reduction in expenditure and increase in taxes. So, what did the elite do? They cut expenditure on essential services—health, education and development—and increased value added tax (VAT) on food items, gasoline and electricity. The tax burden was passed on to the poor.
The rich pay no taxes. This particularly applies to the military top brass. These parasites lead a rapacious lifestyle and constantly make demands for increases in defence budget. One wonders what great feats of conquest have these Pakistani Napoleons achieved?
The politicians cannot say ‘no’ to the brutes’ demands for more money otherwise they will be thrown out of office and another bunch of feudal lords installed in power that will comply with the generals’ demands. The military decides who stays in power and who is to be thrown out.
The begging bowl approach has become ingrained in their psyche. Any time the IMF approves a new loan package, there are huge celebrations as if the elite have achieved something great. They have no dignity because they do not know self-respect. Not surprisingly, Pakistanis are looked down upon all over the world.
Every Pakistani’s sole ambition in life is to flee the country. The major impediment in this quest to escape abroad is the Pakistani passport. Few countries are willing to give them a visa.
The really desperate embark on perilous journeys, often in overcrowded boats. They are at the mercy of unscrupulous agents. The frequent boat disasters in the Mediterranean Sea testify to the risks these people take. True, not all victims are Pakistanis but the vast majority are.
The reason for their desperation is that they see no hope for their children’s future in Pakistan. They cannot earn a decent living to feed them. In the last two years, prices of essential goods have skyrocketed. This was admitted even by the finance minister in his budget speech saying food prices had jumped 48% last year. He made a tall claim that by next year, inflation would be brought down to 12%. Not once has any official Pakistani projection come true.
To understand Pakistan’s pathetic state, consider this. The parasitical elites take $17.4 billion in concessions each year, according to former Senator Mushtaq Ahmad. The military establishment is the biggest blood sucker as well as spiller of the blood of innocent people. It is not a fighting force that will defend the country’s borders. Instead, they have turned into real estate tycoons.
The military goons are the sole decision-makers. The people’s opinion has no value as was demonstrated by the February 8, 2024 general elections. The masses voted overwhelmingly for Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf (PTI) party led by the illegally ousted prime minister Imran Khan.
The army sent in its goons to grab the ballot boxes. Until midnight, the PTI was winning more than 200 seats, the next morning the results were overturned by the army. It used the Election Commission to carry out this coup against the people’s mandate.
PTI challenged these results in courts but almost all judges are subservient to the army. They don’t deliver justice. They hand down verdicts based on whatever is dictated to them by some bone-headed brigadier or colonel. Even if the judges develop some spine and do the right thing, they have no enforcement mechanism at their disposal.
When the Supreme Court ruled that PTI should be allocated reserved seats, the criminals installed in power by the army announced that they will ban PTI as a political party. It cannot get more absurd!
Similarly, when a court ruled that the iddat case against Imran Khan and his wife was illegal, both were re-arrested in the Toshakhana case that the courts had already dismissed. This violates every tenet of the law but the criminals in power do not care because the army is dictating this policy.
Imran Khan languishes in horrible conditions in prison. He is charged with some 200 cases, all bogus. He continues to fight these charges in courts. Most judges are unable, or unwilling to deliver justice.
Even the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has declared the cases against Imran Khan to be in violation of international law and demanded his immediate release. The regime, working under orders from the army, has dismissed the UN group’s demand.
In another assault on privacy and the right to dignified existence, the regime authorized the intelligence agency—the ISI—to wiretap people’s phones and messages. While the ISI was already indulging in such illegal activities, the regime simply provided it legal cover.
The elite and the military goons keep on promising the sky while they fatten themselves on ill-gotten wealth. Once out of power or office, they simply move abroad where they have bought choice properties with wealth stolen from the country.
Pakistan is not a state. It is merely a plaything for the elite to do as they please.
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