Articles of the year 2016
Published on May 11th 2016
The latest scam to surface is mind-boggling. 630 million Pak Rs, Foreign currency and gold were seized in a raid from the house of the Secretary Finance Gov. of Baluchistan. The Secretary was arrested and is under interrogation to give the details of the origin and the destination of the funds.
This latest news coming in the midst of the Panama leaks, and the denials of wrong doing by the Sharif’s is interesting. It shows that the huge amounts being siphoned off by the politicians and parked offshore have now caught attention of the world authorities.
The huge amounts of money are being channelled into keeping politicians in power, and to enable them to steal many of the development funds that should be spent on the uplift of the areas. Now with this robbery becoming quasi legal, with every politician aiming at helping himself at the trough of plenty, with no questions asked.
The development funds being pocketed by the politicians are depriving the citizens of Pakistan, of their education, and health funding that is essential to their progress. All the schools, colleges of higher education, and hospitals are thus being robbed and the money hidden away in off shore accounts. The money in the Sharif accounts in Panama, and the apartments in Park lane are not the earnings from business activities, not legal earnings. There is no businessman alive that could put together such a successful business empire. Without a credible source. It is not financially possible. Simply put, without oil or Computer technology, the country had no such enterprises that that could give such phenomenal returns- except for the stock market, where with insider trading fortunes have been made, but there are only five big operators left!
The stock market was created to bring capital to for successful businessmen to expand. In Pakistan it was turned into a casino, for the gamblers. The government should take note that there have been no IPOs in the las five years. Showing that the primary function of a stock exchange-the creation of capital for use in expansion of industry is not happening. Leaving the industrialist to put up 100 % of his own capital. No wonder there is a dearth of new industries coming up. It is not surprising that Bankers and governments have not picked up on these blips.There has been no economic growth, and the Sharifs have had to make do with roads and underpasses. No new industries. Most of the textiles have been shutting down, and relocating to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
It is a tragedy that the Gov.’s of Musharraf, Zardari and Sharif have retrogressed instead of moving forward. With no new jobs being created it has brought us into a dangerously high unemployment to investment ratio. A sure recipe for disaster. These regimes have concentrated on using their development budgets to inflate the costs of the projects and skim the money towards their cronies so that the spread of money for favours done, and for loyalty bought. At the cost to the nation. Not one of the regimes thought in terms of the nation, only their own future.
That is why the Panama papers have come as such a shock. Only 400 names have appeared. These are the total number of beneficiaries of the scams perpetrated, in the economic destruction of Pakistan. This is economic treason. The Panama papers have brought into sharp focus the politicians involved. Except for a few businessmen the rest were politicians. The politicians using the shield of democracy ensured that all the pillars of state, the police, the Income tax, the FIA, the NAB, were all the tight control of the politicos, and the machine chugged along with no challenge. All the institutions were under their cronies.
Until the Panama papers, and the whole of Pakistan suddenly woke to the monstrous size of the problem. The politicians themselves are embarrassed at the size of their crime. Even the PPP are ashamed of having been a part of such a huge and criminal action. There was no aspect of development that was untouched. For the last twenty years the country has been under crippling power shortages, and there is no respite in the near future. This shortage is affecting the hospitals and schools. The whole system has been twisted out of shape by these 400.
It is time this was stopped.
This may be a good moment for the sane members of the assemblies to correct the direction. Or someone else will do it for them. Then the change could be very painful indeed.
Watching Imran Khan on his Jalsas was refreshing, and brought a sense of relief, hope, in an otherwise bleak somber poverty ridden scenario. With a depressing future of another five years of corruption and robbery. With sorry tales of hungry illiterate burgeoning masses. The light of hope extinguished, looking forward to a more bleak future.
A quick trip to Bani Gala, and faith was restored. The Khan’s presence itself is awesome. Mercurial, the energy palpable.
His confidence is infectious, and the effect on the Sharifs must be extremely demoralising. And making all their claims of development hollow, and empty. Especially when the daily shortages of power, leaving students to study in the dark. Being born into a Pakistani home is to face a life of deprivation, but to be thrust into darkness, in the 21st century creates more despair. Nipping in the bud the many Sadiq Khans dreams of a mayor ship that can never be theirs. Hard work and diligence can never overcome the uphill struggle, that makes Dickens novels a dream by comparison. The orphans in his novels are nothing compared to the hopeless future of the millions of jobless illiterates in Pakistan, with no recourse, just a bleak sense of deprivation, and a leadership that promises more of the same.
But Imran has shown that he can and will bring a change to oust the corrupt and give a fair chance to the struggling masses and break the chains of slavery. At least they will have a chance. A fair chance to better themselves, and not just to benefit the leadership.
To recognise in Imran his honesty, and strength, and his higher sense of purpose. His leadership is so commanding that to follow him is to bring Pakistan to a new platform, where the opportunities are there for all to see and grasp. Yes Mount Olympus is here in Pakistan, and must be followed. Imran has shown that he is indeed a true follower of the holy Prophet Mohammed SAW, and his leadership will take us to a new Pakistan.