KARACHI:
In Pakistan, the fragile law enforcement mechanism has led to a depressing situation. In some ways, one could argue that the country is governed by the ‘Law of Jungle’ where the enacted laws are selectively invoked, mainly with the poor at the receiving end. This selective application allows influential people to exploit the rules at the cost of the children of the lesser god. Although all citizens are entitled to equal treatment under the fundamental rights outlined in the Constitution, the current taxation system discriminates against the poor by squeezing money out of their pockets, while the elite continues to enjoy privileges with impunity. A cursory look at the revenue collection targets for the current fiscal year reveals that a significant onus is placed on the shoulders of the salaried class, while the affluent class largely remains untaxed.
Also, the state is under the constitutional obligation to provide free and compulsory education to all children aged five to sixteen. However, the state’s gross failure to commit to this fundamental commitment has pushed thousands of children into illiteracy. Unlike the privileged, not everyone can afford to educate their children at expensive private schools. Pakistan has the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children, which has widened the social division between the rich and the poor.
The affluent classes can easily avail opportunities for upward mobility while the poverty-ridden segment remains stagnant at lower rungs of social status. Proper implementation of laws and regulations makes a country civilised, and citizens remain loyal to the state and its policies. The high prevalence of lawlessness in society can be attributed to the state’s inability to implement the laws and its failure to fulfil its responsibility. It has turned citizens apathetic to the entire state functionaries and their utility.
Asad Aziz
Khushab
Published in The Express Tribune, July 7th, 2022.
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