For stability and peace
by
Javed Hafiz |
What makes a developing country like Pakistan strong, peaceful and stable? Various people would give various answers. Some may say strong armed forces. Others may opine high growth rate sustained over a long period. Some may say a strong sense of nationalism based on religiosity, with its attendant moral values, would make Pakistan invulnerable while others may attach the highest weightage to the rule of law. And yet many may say that it is the quality of education and its wide coverage that is a sure recipe for a strong, stable and prosperous society. Is the strong writ of the government imposed through a fair and professional civil service promulgating laws passed by a potent and capable parliament any less important? In the case of a federal set–up like Pakistan, how can one disregard provincial rights and fair distribution of national resources, as strong and cohesive units add up to a strong whole.
While all the points listed above are true to an extent. In the case of Pakistan I would like to enlist only four steps to ensure stability. First and foremost, the poor and marginalised sections of society have to be fully supported by the state. When I say that, I do not plead for a socialist system. That system of centralised planning and distribution has failed and there is no point in giving it another try. A consistently high growth rate can pull some of those living below the poverty line to a relatively higher living standard. We have seen it happen in India in recent years. More importantly, the state can rekindle hope amongst the poor by enabling them to compete for the best jobs through a strong public education system. In terms of intelligence quotient, the poor children are as much endowed as the rich ones. The state ought to prop up the declining government schools in terms of quality and content. These schools ought to have good English teachers and the best computer and science labs. Children from the poor families should be charged nominal fees and those who excel should be completely exempted.
Part of the first point is a merit-based society which does not discriminate against the poor in the job market. Good development has come to be seen in recent years in an expanded private sector which attracts quite a few talented boys and girls because of higher salaries than in government jobs. The private sector generally selects people on merit. There was a time when the multinationals used to pick the kith and kin of well-placed people in order to boost their clout in the government. That trend is declining now. However, the children from the poor classes do get discriminated against as they cannot attend the best engineering, medical, information technology or business institutes. It is the foremost duty of the Pakistani government under President Asif Ali Zardari to remove this handicap. The British had introduced the merit-based selection for jobs through competitive examinations. This system must be strengthened and any attempt to bypass it must be opposed. The media’s role in highlighting the appointment of Makhdoom Amin Faheem’s daughter in a foreign mission, without taking the Public Service Commission examination, is commendable.
When the poor feel empowered and expect justice from the system, they will fully own the country. In a feudal society, guns are exhibited and even used to settle matters. In a stratified society like Pakistan, these arms, more often then not, are used by the landed class to subjugate the poor tillers. In recent years, there has been a proliferation of arms, both legal and illegal, in Pakistan. Successive governments have used arms licences to please their supporters. The situation in neighbouring Afghanistan introduced in Pakistan what is called the ‘Kalashnikov Culture’. Some of these arms have been misused by religious fanatics and anti-social elements with disastrous results. No one except the entitled government functionaries should be allowed to carry arms. The complete disarmament of the society may take years, but it is a goal worth striving for. So this is the second step.
The third step would be to eliminate the special status of Fata and either convert it into a fifth province or amalgamate it into the NWFP. While establishing Fata, the British essentially traded safe passage with complete autonomy. Right now the seven agencies of Fata are administered directly from Islamabad through political agents. Since the British days the agents have managed the area by cultivating the tribal elders. The Afghan situation since 1979 has dented this system as new players in the shape of jihadis emerged. The position of the political agent was undermined. This is the main cause of problems in Fata today. Since everybody in Fata is free to carry arms, there can be no effective disarmament in the rest of Pakistan without a ban on them first in the tribal area.
And last but not the least, the Kashmir problem should be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the wishes of Kashmiri people.
Javed Hafiz is a former Pakistani ambassador to the Sultanate. |
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