Will the Cat Hang the Bell?
By Syed Osman Sher
Melville, New York
In recent weeks a non-political entity, Maulana Tahirul Quadri, has created a furor in the political circles of Pakistan. The vested interest, the scions of political dynasties, was the one that was the most disturbed, both by what Quadri had said and also by the number of people he had mustered to listen to his diatribes against the sorry state of the nation, the sliding down of the country’s economic condition and its social values, rampant corruption, and the last but not the least the inconsiderateness of the jagiradari/wadera/sirdari system, which is the root cause of all the ills.
The real curse of Pakistan is not the military takeovers but its feudal system. It is this bane that has provided the opportunity to military adventurists to have a role in the politics of Pakistan. Had the feudal lords not been self-serving, or had there been a democratic spirit and environment in the country, such a situation would not have arisen.
The majority of Pakistanis, living in the Eastern part of the country, had abolished the feudal system in the very beginning. Their political philosophy was democracy-oriented. I personally attest to have seen peons and clerks having an easy access to a Federal Minister from East Pakistan for rectification of their administrative grievances, whereas a Minister from West Pakistan would not allow even a high official in his office for such purposes. The waderas of West Pakistan, who now own its most part, wisely thought that the East Pakistanis would not allow them to rule the country unhindered through democratic votes, hence it was better to get rid of that part. Nations fight for every inch of their land but here half of the land and most of the people were eased out just after twenty-five years of the country’s birth without much ado or lamenting.
The waderas proved themselves right. We find on the scene after the demise of East Pakistan the first ruler a wadera: Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Subsequently, we see in the National Assembly, the Senate, and on the women’s reserved seats, an array of them. Now they are the unchallenged masters of the political process. As they do not care for the well-being of the haris on their lands, do not want them educated, rather strive to keep them in perpetual poverty and degraded conditions so that they continue their obedience and servitude to them. The jagirdars have treated the citizens of Pakistan in the same way. There is nothing unusual in such a behavior; it is the psychological make-up in a natural way. So whenever elections in Pakistan are held, the jagirdars alone are the winners with the help of their haris’ votes. Not only this, they have now forged a system of marriage alliances among themselves on the pattern of the European monarchies of the yesteryear. Having done so, the jagirdar families together have now full command on national affairs. Unchallenged and undaunted, they have little regard for common citizens. They have not only put the country on the path of a down-slide but have also plundered its resources. Encouraged by their corruption and the absence of accountability, every segment of the population is now basking in the sun of corruption.
In this context, the voice of Tahirul Quadri has some meaning. It is due to this fact that he has also got some supporters, including the MQM, another votary against the feudal system. Therefore, there seems nothing amiss with what the Maulana has said, though it is another matter that it has come at a time when elections are near. But the question is: do such elections reflect independent public opinions, or are they simply a force to perpetuate the wadera-monarchical system, handing over powers to successive generations, without bringing out some good for the country and its people?
So why not change the system first, as the Maulana is advocating? But, would it be fruitful at this stage? And, would the cat hang the bell on its own neck?
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