Dawood Ibrahim
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February 4, 2017
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News & Views
Mohammad Jamil
THE debate is raging in the media about allotment of land to former COAS Raheel Sharif, whereas in the past such an issue has never been tossed around. It appears that champions of democracy could not stomach his achievements and wish to tarnish his image. In his latest article ‘For the chosen few’ published in ‘The News’ dated 28th January a renowned lawyer and columnist wrote: “We were told that Gen Raheel sold prime land allotted to him as army chief and donated the money to martyrs’ fund…But what was implicit in the disclosure was that there is something rotten about allotment of prime land to the high and mighty. The ‘legacy’ of Gen Raheel crumbled with news of him chasing a security job in Riyadh. Many who saw him as one who wanted to do the right thing and walk into sunset had to eat their words.”
The author’s conjectures about former COAS to head the military command of Saudi-led alliance were uncalled for, as he based his comments on hearsay and the information from a retired military general. Given his reputation, Raheel Sharif would not accept the offer if alliance is anti-Iran and not anti-Daesh. In his earlier article titled ‘The good General’, the author first lauded RS’ achievements and used all superlatives, but in the next few lines demolished him raising questions about his intentions and ambition to be popular. He wrote that “he remained scandal free…How much of a meaningful difference can be made even if the ability is steadily acquired to shape the narrative produced by our 24/7 news cycle – the chief attending funerals and consoling victims of terror being a part of that narrative after the fashion of a PR exercise to build image and legacy?”
The author in a way belongs to the elite group, as the ruling elite include pillars of the state and institutions, higher echelons of bureaucracy and lawyers who get their share in the form of defending the criminals, fraudsters, the corrupt and the plunderers of the national wealth. The author was one of the lawyers on the scandal-prone EOBI, whereby its top management was allegedly involved in Rs.44 bn scam. Daily ‘The News’ had carried a report on August 02, 2013, which among other things stated: “Thus, in three years Aitzaz Ahsan got Rs7.5 million, Asma Jahangir Rs2.9 million and Babar Sattar with biggest amount of Rs16.1 million. Apart from 211 legal aids, the EOBI also employs district legal advisers who are 124 in number. Apart from getting substantial amounts for each case Babar Sattar’s services were hired on regular basis at Rs200,000 per month.”
It should be borne in mind that the army and judiciary are protected from ridicule under the Constitution. The then chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who headed the 3-member bench, had remarked that “the judiciary would not allow anything against the integrity of the country and its national security.” Of course Article 19 of the Constitution is for freedom of speech, which says: “Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan or any part thereof, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court (commission of) or incitement to an offence.” But chattering classes do not give a damn to the stipulations and provisos of the Constitution.
Today, feudalism does not exist in its classical form, but Pakistan still faces this scourge and its decadent culture. It is responsible for ignorance, poverty, hunger, disease, intolerance, obscurantism and repression in the society, as this system by nature is anti-democratic. The history of feudalism in the subcontinent is not very old; it dates back to the 1857- War of Independence when traitors were rewarded for cooperating with the British. Barring a few honourable examples of landowners that had purchased land out of their legally earned money, a lot of them were toadies of the British Raj. Some of them still keep the peasants in bonded labor, maintain private jails especially in Sindh and Balochistan; preside over private courts (panchayats). It is difficult for great majority of the people to keep their body and soul together; yet, eminences and leading lights talk about democracy, justice, rule of law and constitutionalism.
Pakistan has overwhelmingly remained a feudal society where jagirdars, vederas, sardars and pirs still wield enormous powers. They enjoy political clout, and in cahoots with noveau riche industrial class and civil and military bureaucracy control the state. For about seven decades, majority of the people are living in the gloom of stalking poverty, squalor, want and deprivation. But they are neither in focus of the ruling elite nor by the anchorpersons, analysts and intellectuals who more often than not highlight the elites’ grouses rather than highlighting the grievances of the downtrodden. Has anyone ever heard of voices coming from the champions of democracy, self-styled progressive intellectuals or political parties, media studios or heard of seminars being held by civil society groups or human rights watchdogs or taking of protest marches to emancipate the disenfranchised citizenry in rural areas.
History bears testimony to the fact that in Europe democracy could only be established once feudalism had been abolished. Even civil war in the US was a war between the industrialists and slave-owners feudalists. In Pakistan, it has different shades and nomenclatures in four provinces of Pakistan – wadera system in Sindh, jagirdari system in Punjab, khawaneen (landlords) in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and sardari system in Balochistan. Some of them still keep the peasants in bonded labour, maintain private jails especially in Sindh and Balochistan; preside over private courts (panchayats) and grant the peasant and his family a mere pittance to eke out a living. However, nobody raises voice for land reforms to wrest lands given by the British Raj to the traitors. But they question the grant of lands to the saviours of the nation, who are prepared to lay down their lives for defence of the motherland.
—The writer is a senior journalist based in Lahore.
Email:mjamil1938@hotmail.com
