Story of Corruption in Pakistan by Syed Jaffer

7/28/2019 Story of Corruption in Pakistan by Syed Jaffer

1/12

The story of corruption in Pakistan.

By Syed Jaffer

In 1956 when I was able to read news paper with the help of my parents the problem was corruption, American influence and inefficiency. Later on when I for the first time was able to understand the speech of the #Quaid 30 percent content was on #corruption #nepotism #sectarian and #religious harmony.

It was the time when, by the time the Indian prime minister changed his #Dhooti two governments would change in my country, each time due to the same reasons: corruption, nepotism and inefficiency. We all in those days were waiting for some saviour who could follow steps of Musaddaq and Gamal Abdul Nasser. I was intelligent enough to record the name of the iron man to those days it was 1958 October.

Ayub Khan struck less on the corrupt but certainly on those

who struggled for the creation of this country. Among others Hussain Shaheed Soharwary, Raja of Mahmoodabad Sardar, Abdur Rab Nishtar stood ABDOED, ABDO meant Elective Bodies Disqualification Order. I am not sure if #FatimaJinnah too was


2/12

included but sure I never heard of her till 1962. News papers

published only

what

Ayub

wanted.

My father used to tell me after partition the bureaucrats that opted for Pakistan acted very honest in the very beginning Secretaries to the government that had no office furniture used to sit during official duties on the cement blocks and wooden stools or common benches, write memos by hand and do the filing work by themselves. To the extent in the absence of

common pin acacia thorn was used to combine a set of papers. Within one year everyone was trying to grab and posses whatever he could put his hands on.

Some that occupied the villas of fleeing Hindus did not know how to stop the electric fans and had to put bamboos in between to stop the fan during winter when it was very cold, believe me I am not exaggerating. The height of corruption reached to the peak when the immigrants started filing claims

on the properties left behind in India. Both the locals and the immigrants were equal partners in the plunder.

I was eight grader in 1958 studied in Iranian Technical School

Kharadar and used to go by bus from PIB Colony to


3/12

Merewether Clock Tower and walk thereafter to the school.

Catching

bus

at

either

terminal

of

the

route

one

needed

muscles and fast running capability. A bus would come every 45 minutes or so with one third the capacity of waiting passengers that would all rush run and chase to climb it.

Ayubs Marshal Law disciplined everyone I saw a few things that no one in Pakistan will ever be able to see. Every spot of the city became clean, queues were formed for every purpose,

and every food was checked for purity and hygiene. Military jeeps would raid the milk shops with lactometer and throw away everything to the drain if found of low quality. Heaps of demonetized currency notes were found in the garbage cans. All the dailies and magazines reports suggested that the country had actually become Pak (clean). The situation lasted for around six months when there were rumors all around that

the army personnel on Marshal Law duty have started taking bribes and the rates had become exorbitantly more than what honestly charge earlier by the common police.

Those were the days when a government servant was not allowed to do anything to make additional earning. Teachers even from private schools would not give tuitions to the students after school and thought unethical. Government


4/12

doctors would not have any private clinics in the evening. Staff

of the

income

tax

department

would

not

prepare

documents

privately for the trade and business community. With this background Ayub started implementing the reforms.

His strike was on the bureaucrats also and did a three not three strike by sacking 303 officers. Kalashnikov was I suppose yet to be produced hence his action at that time sufficed with three not three rifle that was considered most lethal weapon

then. Within no time it came to the surface that only the officers that were hindrance in Ayubs ways were made to quit. Later on during the same era it was speculated that the action was mostly against those who were not cooperating with the military regime.

Soon we saw a number of reforms that were later celebrated during decade of reforms to culminate the Ayub era. To spread education teachers were allowed to give tuition to the students

outside schools. There were a lot of very honest teachers but to those who wanted to make money provided opportunity for corrupt practices.


5/12

To make health facilities available to everyone the doctors

working as

paid

servants

for

government

and

private

hospitals

were allowed and encouraged to have their own private clinics where they could provide treatment to the patients that would not otherwise like to visit the government hospitals. This reform paved the way for corruption when the doctors in the government hospitals could force patients to visit their private

clinics.

It went

the

other

way

too

I have

seen

doctors

referring

their poor patients to government hospitals where they provided them cheaper treatment. Where there is evil good is also there to provide the ecological balance.

When the doctors had no permission to see the patients out of hospital I can recall a doctor who was good friend of my father once refused to see me at his home and politely asked me to visit the hospital while comforting me that it is nothing serious.

When Quaid made the first speech the subject was corruption.

When Ayub came his priority was eradication of corruption among politicians and ruling bureaucrats. Since country became half Bhutto had different priorities but he too removed more than a thousand government officials. Ayubs investigation did not reveal much about the politicians of his time, so it was


6/12

blame only. But this is a fact that the politicians were changing

the political

course

and

gradually

making

inroads

for

the

clergy.

As time passed civil and military bureaucracy realized that they should work together and instead of finding faults among each other should shift the blame on politicians alone and make them scapegoat. Since 1977 onwards therefore we hear corruption of the politicians only.

After the independence, bureaucracy comprised of British trained cadre that were reasonably honest. Soon new blood was required, and Jamaate Islami immediately grabbed the

opportunity to provided educated middle class to work as government functionaries. Jamaate Islami until the creation of Pakistan was deadly against it when the country came into being most of its followers from all over India migrated to the new found country.

Jammate Islami followers have their own concept of Islamic justice. Their once chief Moulvi Tufail did publicly advocated and supported his followers speaking lies for the glory of Islam. They have peculiar appearance with small made up beard.

Immediate disciples of Maudoodi used to bear smallpox spots


7/12

and a few were cross eyed too. You enter a government office

you will

find

a lot

of

officers

having

the

described

appearance.

Hence no matter whose government it is the functionaries will always be from the Jamaate.

The corruption is mostly among the middle class of almost all the urban centers of Pakistan. Traders and small business is the majority corrupt people that are mostly themselves from the Jamaate Islami or other rightist and religious parties. They

work hand in hand with the typically corrupt honest government functionaries. This is the section of society that does the major portion of economic turnover and none pays tax or is in favor of documenting their commercial ventures. Even the big business industrialists and land lords are assisted by these jamaat follower government functionaries to do corruption.

Up till Ayubs regime lasted, Islamic values as outlined by the

Pakistani religious groups were not in full implementation. Large cities used to have cabaret and bars available, dress code was not strict, non Muslims were frequently seen in skirts and miniskirts. Appearing sexy is the right of a woman, and was accepted. Women were free to wear outfits of their choice. Brothels were permitted and areas were allocated in the cities


8/12

where sex workers were free to have their business. Almost

every mess

in

the

cantonment

had

nicely

maintained

bar.

Most

of the hotels had variety of different wines to offer.

Propaganda of Jamaat Islami and other religious groups prevailed that sins are the main reason of corruption. The religious groups were successful in forcing Bhutto for some religious reforms by which the serving and selling wine was made criminal offence. Brothels were banned and Friday made

the weekend. The myth that these actions will eliminate corruption did not and could not have reformed the desired society. Financial and ethical corruptions mostly rests with the government servants and the business and trade community, that mostly follow religious parties but basically it is where the corruption emanates.

Like Ayub, Bhutto too sacked government servants twice and a number of top secretaries and senior government servants

became the target. General Ziaul Haq was sympathetic to the corrupt group of civil servants, industrialists, traders and land lords. He allowed the financial corruption to continue as long as his seat was secure and he was able to implement his brand of Islam. At an occasion Zia used an interesting phrase Bhutto


9/12

Ghareeb Sarmayadaaron kay pichay haath dhokay para howa

tha.

By the time Zia ul Haq fell from the skies and cremated by the heavenly forces civil and military bureaucracy were firmly integrated to do whatever they wished, this group is popularly known as establishment. Over the years the establishment in Pakistan has created well connected network in society to promote corruption. It is the government functionaries that

are responsible to catch investigate sentence and punish the corrupt has created society that almost is without any punishment. In the entire country for the last 20 years I never heard a taxi driver being caught for not having a fare meter on his vehicle no shopkeeper ever caught for not having the books, no milk man ever checked if he is selling the adulterated milk. No bus or mini bus ever stopped and checked if it is carrying

the right number of passengers, they are forced to travel on the rooftop of the busses every one watches and hardly any one notices.

For the last 5 years corruption was the hot topic. One day I thought I should calculate how many times this word is heard by the voters of Pakistan, on counting I heard the word corruption 70 times during one hour, and assumed it goes on


10/12

for 8 hours every day, and say only 30 million adult individuals

out of

Pakistani

population

hear

it,

multiplying

all

together,

it

makes the word corruption was heard accumulative 16.8 billion times per day. Alas this exercise was not to end or fight the corruption, it was to make sure that Zardari and his political party the PPP Pakistan Peoples Party does not return to power.

When Quaide Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah delivered his policy speech on the 11 th of august 1947 he said

[[3]] The second thing that occurs to me is this: One of the biggest curses from which India is suffering I do not say

that other countries are free from it, but I think our condition is much worse is bribery and corruption. That really is a poison. We must put that down with an iron hand, and I hope that you will take adequate measures as soon as it is possible for this Assembly to do so.

[[4]] Blackmarketing is another curse. Well, I know that black marketeers are frequently caught and punished. Judicial sentences are passed, or sometimes fines only are imposed. Now you have to tackle this monster, which

today is a colossal crime against society, in our distressed


11/12

conditions, when we constantly face shortage of food and

other

essential

commodities

of

life.

A

citizen

who

does

black marketing commits, I think, a greater crime than the biggest and most grievous of crimes. These black marketeers are really knowing, intelligent, and ordinarily responsible people, and when they indulge in black marketing, I think they ought to be very severely punished,

because they

undermine

the

entire

system

of

control

and

regulation of foodstuffs and essential commodities, and cause wholesale starvation and want and even death.

[[5]] The next thing that strikes me is this: Here again it is a legacy which has been passed on to us. Along with many other things, good and bad, has arrived this great evil the evil of nepotism and jobbery. I want to make it quite clear that I shall never tolerate any kind of jobbery

[=corrupt employment practices], nepotism, or any any influence directly or indirectly brought to bear upon me. Whenever I will find that such a practice is in vogue or is continuing anywhere, low or high, I shall certainly not countenance it.


12/12

What I like to arrive at is that we started with corruption and

have steadily

progress

and

now

do

it

16,8

billon

times

per

day

because if we falsely accuse someone that too is corruption.

We have not been able to eliminate the corruption for the last 65 years and I can assure you we will never eliminate it ever. I say this because while we repeat the word corruption billions of times per day we do not do anything to install meters on the rickshaws and taxies, we do not make sure that the buses ply

on time and carry allowed number of passengers, we do not demand receipt from the shop where we purchase edibles, we do not insist on paying the right prices and refuse to buy items with wrong price, we get wrong domicile to avail the quota reserved for less developed regions, I can continue endlessly.

To conclude I am sure the corruption will not end until I myself stop corruption.

Story of Corruption in Pakistan by Syed Jaffer

Documents

Transcript of Story of Corruption in Pakistan by Syed Jaffer