After 56 years of independence,
poverty and ignorance
continue to be prevalent in
India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Yes the literacy rate has more
than doubled but still almost
50% population remains illiterate.
Yes India and Pakistan
are now the Nuclear Powers.
But misery and want remain the
foundation of the social structure,
deaths from malnutrition
are common, disease pervasive,
thievery normal, and graft
and corruption are taken for
granted. In countries like China
the elimination of these conditions
has been striking. But
not in South Asia. We
and our leaders have not shown the
same commitment and farsightedness
as the leaders in China,
Japan and Malaysia did. We tend
to be committed to personal
or regional interests and quick
gains without pain.
As the famous Pakistan journalist
Ayaz Mir laments,
"When words fail, as they will
do when no premium is put on
their worth, recourse will be
had to the stick and the firearm.
Why do parliamentarians in all
our three countries take to
fisticuffs at the slightest
provocation? Not because great
principles of policy are involved
but simply because their
high-wired temperaments get
the better of their discretion.
A scene from the National Assembly
here and the Lok Sabha in
India is about the same: noise,
clamour and little genuine
debate. And for variety, fisticuffs."
Like some of the demogogues,
our Mullas, Pundits and teachers
spread hatred rather than patriotism
and Islamic brotherhood.
Nobody seems to realize the
need for creating civic sense among
the masses and motivating people
to develop skills and knowledge,
and to work honestly and hard
for the progress of the country.
Everybody wants to grab money,
power and clamor about their
rights without fullfilling their
responsibilities.
The efficiency in Government
offices and civic and municipal
bodies remain pathetic. Rarely
anybody is held accountable
for the piles of garbage that
accumulates in our streets but
zealots of Islamization tear
down billboards simply for
displaying a female model. Power
failures, power thefts, water
shortages, land grabbing, food
adulteration, black marketing,
nepotism, favoritism are more
common than dacoities, petty
thefts and terrorist attacks
and other crimes that are
increasing at an alarming rate.
Nobody thinks of launching a
Jihad against social evils, yet
some zealots are found willing
to die in helping the freedom
fighters in other countries.
In 1947 the dollar was worth
less than RS. 4 and Riyals and
Dinars were weeker than Rupee
but now their worth is over
15 times higher than that in
1947. Years of misrule by the
politicians and military dictators,
our habit of importing
more than what we export and
living beyond means on loans and
aid has made us poorer than
we were in 1947 and now we have
become economic slaves. And
yet our economic policies are are
being shaped by the henchmen
of those powers who exploit
the third world to keep the
wheels of their industries
running.
No. This is not a talk of despair.
It is time for taking
stock. We must mend our ways.
Each one of us can contribute
in the progress by adopting
simplicity and honesty performing
whatever duties we have honestly
and sincerely. We must raise
vioce against corruption and
misuse of power and inefficiency
not only in the Government,
schools and colleges and municiple
bodies but among our own ranks.
We must adopt the Islamic
spirit of justice, honesty and
fullfil our obligations to Allah
and the community as prescribed
in Holy Quran and Sunnah.
The real test of freedom is less
in what we are free to do
than in what we are free not
to do. So far we have been taking
liberty with the freedom. There
can be no freedom without
responsibilities. There is nothing
with which it is so
dangerous to take liberties
as liberty itself.
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