The ruling elite in Pakistan, be it the politicians, businessmen or other officials, seem to have a never-ending lust for power and greed for money — a problem that had already led to the dismemberment of the country in 1971. Those deep within the power circles seem to either be completely oblivious of this fact or actively choose to ignore it. It seems that we will never learn from history.
While institutions never learn to work within their boundary, the ruling elite keeps on creating room for them to expand their territory. The harsh truth is that they keep accusing and abusing each other for wrong-doings while overlooking the mess which is right under their own noses. Fiery speeches of politicians in parliament hold no actual substance, apart from the use of flowery or sometimes provocative words. Similarly, industrialists and businessmen exploit the poor for the selfish purpose of profit maximisation. However, competition between the ruling elite is an illusion, specifically created in order to persuade the masses into believing in their philosophy and vision for a better future. Behind the table, a whole different ball game is at play while at the surface these institutions seemingly compete with one another. The underlying elite class that control these institutions communicate and coherently work with one another in order to create their own rules in their own game. Thus, the social divide that cuts through all institutions creates the idea of the “elite class” while the rest are just mere pawns in the greater scheme of things.
All of them work hand in hand and feed off of each other’s power in order to maintain the status quo and hence retain their control. The rest of the lower- and middle- class keeps struggling with the consequences of their corruption and incompetence. There needs to be an institution that ensures accountability across the board and holds people accountable for their illegal spread of power while regulating those that are legalising it.
Raja Shafaatullah
Islamabad
Published in The Express Tribune, July 16th, 2020.
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