Feudal order responsible for inequalities: Hoodbhoy

Pakistan’s failure to dismantle its feudal order has entrenched corruption and deepened environmental and social inequality, physicist and commentator Pervez Hoodbhoy said, warning that the country remains in the grip of dynastic elites. 

“Pakistan’s tragedy is that it was never able to overturn the feudal order,” he said. “Today, our national and provincial assemblies are filled with the sons and sometimes daughters of feudals. Independent people don’t make decisions.”

In a wide-ranging interview, Hoodbhoy called for a radical shift in the country’s priorities, urging the government to break from the status quo. 

“We need to embrace renewable energy, implement effective family planning, and address the root causes of environmental degradation,” he said. “Without these changes, Pakistan will remain trapped in a cycle of crisis.”

On the environmental crisis, the nuclear physicist and activist cautioned about the devastating toll of coal mining, water mismanagement, and the failure to embrace renewable energy, offering a bleak assessment of the country’s future.

On the most pressing issue of the Thar coal mining project in Sindh, a joint venture between Pakistan and China, Hoodbhoy did not hold back in his criticism. “We are poisoning the water. To run a coal mining project, you have to have lots and lots of water. And when it’s put back into the ground, it is poisoned.” Thar’s coal, he said, is of poor quality, with high sulfur content and low energy efficiency. Yet, he argued that China continues to push such projects.

“The Chinese industry is pushing to sell coal-powered plants and mining equipment while building the infrastructure for coal extraction—despite the well-documented and severe environmental consequences.”

Hoodbhoy described this as a form of “economic imperialism,” where China profits from outdated and environmentally destructive infrastructure while Pakistan bears the cost. “We are in the grip of a kind of imperialism that is not militant but economic, seeking total control of our economy and how we live,” he warned.

This economic dependence, he added, extends beyond infrastructure. “I might also mention that the only customer for China’s nuclear power plants is Pakistan. No other country in the world is buying Chinese nuclear plants except for Pakistan. And we’ve bought lots of them for prices that have yet to be disclosed.”

Despite the availability of cheaper and cleaner alternatives like solar energy, Pakistan, he said, remains heavily reliant on coal. Hoodbhoy noted that while solar power is gaining traction at the domestic level, with many households installing panels, large-scale projects are being overlooked in favor of lucrative coal deals.

“Solar has an enormous amount of promise, but it’s small scale and distributed. Coal involves mega infrastructure projects and profits,” he explained.

But coal is only part of a larger crisis. Raising the alarm, Hoodbhoy said that Pakistan’s population is doubling every 25 years, a trend that could have catastrophic consequences.  “If this doesn’t change, we could reach 500 million in 25 years—then a billion. Within six doubling periods, Pakistan’s population could exceed the current global total,” he warned, blaming the clerics for the crisis.  “The clerics have so intimidated the government that it does not dare openly promote contraceptives or say, stop it, because you’re ruining the country.”

When asked about water mismanagement, he warned that the country’s rivers, including the Indus, are drying up due to excessive agricultural use and upstream diversions. “The Indus River barely exists by the time it enters the delta. The sea is encroaching, and it’s not just the climate crisis—it’s the overuse of water for agriculture upstream,” Hoodbhoy explained.

He singled out the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for its role in enabling environmental exploitation, particularly in Sindh. “Under the PPP government, controversial canal projects were approved, worsening land disputes and water shortages. Zardari himself sanctioned these canals and wants to suppress any discussion on the matter,” Hoodbhoy said in the no-holds-barred interview.

Zain Haq is a freelance contributor

All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the author