Pakistan stands devastated today due to unprecedented massive corruption. According to a recent report by Transparency International Pakistan the last five years have been the worst in the history of Pakistan with over Rs18 trillion (about $180 billion) having been looted by our government officials and their cronies appointed in different organisations.
Pakistan has dropped from being the 45th most corrupt country to the 35th most corrupt country in the world during this period. There are dozens of mega scam cases including the Rental Power Projects case of Rs45 billion involving Raja Ashraf; the Rs20 billion corruption in Pakistan Steel; Rs150 billion in KESC; Rs8 billion in NICL, and a host of other mega scams in PIA, Railways, NICL, Ogra, LNG import case, Hajj scandal; Rs400 billion in the PSO case and a large number of other cases including the Neelum Jhelum project, OGDCL, CDA, NHA, SSGCL, SNGPL, Wapda, Punjab Bank swindle etc.
A huge amount of money has been lost in land scams and in the FBR. The poor are dying of hunger and many are resorting to robberies and kidnappings, while the rulers construct palaces abroad and amass funds looted from the people in foreign bank accounts.
In a press conference on December 12, 2012, the NAB chairman acknowledged that corruption levels had reached as high as Rs10-12 billion per day. Having the complete freedom to appoint heads of public sector organisations and other government institutions, the prime ministers and the ‘honourable’ ministers appointed corrupt individuals to head these institutions.
The economic strangulation of Pakistan is apparent from the fact that our national debt has more than doubled during the last five years, and the rupee has collapsed from about Rs60 in 2008 to about Rs100 against the dollar presently. Both the former prime ministers that ruled over the country during the last five years are under investigation for massive corruption.
The Supreme Court found itself fighting losing battles, trying to do what it could, but helpless to have its orders implemented. The hope that the process of democracy will serve as a self-cleansing mechanism are a fool’s dream; for democracy to work, the first prerequisite is proper education.
Only when the people are able to read and understand the manifestos of the various political parties do they have the power of choice. This power has been taken away from them by the feudal mindset of our rulers by ensuring that little is spent on education. Pakistan spends about 1.8 percent of its GDP on education, with the result that we are ranked among the bottom seven countries of the world in terms of investment on education.
The repeated attempts to destroy the Higher Education Commission (HEC) during the last three years as well as cutting its budget by half reflect their diseased minds.
Pakistan stands at a precipice. The key to our future prosperity lies in education. India has decided to invest 120,000 crore in the current five-year plan in higher education. The number of Indian institutes of technology has been raised from seven to sixteen, and 200 new universities and 40 centres of excellence are being established.
In Pakistan, one of the first steps that the PPP government took after coming into power was to cancel the projects of foreign engineering universities three months before classes were about to commence in various cities of Pakistan.
Similarly, projects for the establishment of four law universities in the provincial capitals were abandoned. A systematic plan to destroy the higher education, science and technology sectors resulted in repeated attacks on the HEC which I prevented by repeatedly going to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Ms Marvi Memon, Mr Azam Swati and Prof G A Miana have admirably supported the HEC in petitions in the SC and the Sindh High Court.
The present system of so-called ‘democracy’ has indeed proved to be the best revenge – revenge against the people of Pakistan. The only hope for Pakistan is to drastically change the system of democracy. Repeating the process of elections without proper electoral reforms is suicidal.
The role of parliament should be confined only to lawmaking and oversight, and parliamentarians should not be eligible to become ministers so that there is no attraction of the corrupt to become its members.
The chief executive of the country should have complete freedom to choose his team of cabinet ministers from the most competent persons available in the country. Public sector organisations should be completely independent of the government, so that corrupt leaders cannot appoint their stooges to run them. The dreams of the Quaid and Iqbal lie shattered.
Elections are around the corner and we are all set to hold these without proper election reforms. At least 60 to 90 days were needed to properly scrutinise the credentials of those who wish to contest the next elections but barely 14 days may be given to the Election Commission.
Although the Election Commission had five years to carry out these reforms, nothing was done and now at the last moment it is going through the motions – that too only after Dr Allama Tahirul Qadri had shaken the country with his fiery speeches and the long march to Islamabad. Unless electoral reforms are fully and properly implemented, many of the same corrupt people will come back as members of the national and provincial assemblies and continue to loot and plunder.
Pakistan is not short of honest and competent persons in various fields. However, if they made the mistake of contesting the elections, they would not stand a chance of being elected unless the Election Commission introduced major electoral reforms that ensured elimination of unsuitable candidates. This involves (a) formulation of proper criteria of the qualities that the candidates should possess and (b) their careful screening prior to the election process.
The future of Pakistan lies in our hands. We do not need the continuation of this so-called “democracy”, as the country will surely not survive it for another five years. Basic changes are needed in our governance system so that we never see a repetition of what has happened in Pakistan. The crooks that have plundered the national wealth must be caught and punished in an exemplary fashion so that future leaders would not dare to indulge in corruption.
Pakistan is burning. We need to act before it is too late.
The writer is the former federal minister for science and technology and former chairman of the Higher Education Commission.Email: ibne_sina@hotmail.com
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