First of all, I want to apologize to all of you who find interest in my blogs. I have been so much packed in my work routine that Covid-19 break did not even let me rest.
Though I had plans to publish content on Kashmir, Ramadan, Eids, and many other things, including Work from Home. But I could not get enough time for that.
What Brought Me Back?
Just a few moments back I was on Facebook, tweaking my business account when I came across a post from one of my dearest friends, Abdul Rehman.
It was a video of a magistrate attempting to fine a shopkeeper for selling sugar at a price higher than that set by the government. And the shopkeeper was retaliating, even protesting that fine. But I would say, the magistrate was dumb enough to understand the problem.
You can watch that video here: Magistrate shopkeeper ky Agy Char Gya
Well, that is what I call Corruption!
Why do I call it corruption? Let me explain it ahead.
How is it Corruption?
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Corruption is everything in which one party is taking benefit and the other one is taking a loss. It could be more than one party as well. We can also call it the Zero-Sum.
If you watch that video you will hear that the shopkeeper (whom we cannot see) is asking the government official to give him the information on where to buy sugar at the government price. He is just, and any sane retailer will ask that question when distributors are not providing it at the prescribed price. On the other hand, the magistrate did not answer him for that.
Now in that situation, no government official is liable to charge a fine to a retailer for selling something higher than the government price. Indeed, that magistrate was corrupt. And what I can think of is that he might be filling up his daily quota of fines. Or he was stealing. Stealing in a way, his senior won’t know it and he will pocket the fine(s).
Unfortunately, corruption is in our roots!
Corruption is in Our Roots:
I remember Sheikh Rashid (Minister of Railway of Pakistan) once said that corruption in Pakistan is so bad that sons steal from their fathers. As far as I remember, he gave an example of a butcher or a milkman, who leaves the shop on to his son and moves out to run some errands. Behind him, his son opens the money drawer and steals from it.
It is not a myth!
I have seen it myself many times. Like, I know a person who sold his mother’s property and told her that he did not do anything like that. Besides, I have seen a lot of corruption in the private sector of Pakistan.
Back in 2010, I was working in an educational institution where Rehman is still employed. There, one of the management personnel forged the institution’s accounting record showing asset acquisition. However, in reality, nothing like that happened. Instead, that guy corrupted the institution’s account for personal gain.
Before that, I remember one of my class-fellows in fourth grade who tried to play con on me. He took Rs 40 from me and returned me Rs 10 saying that was all I gave him. I protested, but nothing happened. Then I went to my teacher and asked her to help me. Well, she did and even did not ask for any evidence.
A Dark Side:
Let me show you one of the dark sides of this chapter!
You know, most of the corruptors are the senior citizens in Pakistan. I am sorry, I am not blaming anyone, but this is a fact. Though I do not have any score to present, you can find it on your own. Why NAB is not able to jail the phenomenal corruptors in Pakistan? Because the corrupt judiciary system does not accept their evidence. The evidence they present is rejected by the courts, or even tampered before they are presented. And that drives their case towards failure. There is nothing wrong with NAB, the problem is with the corrupt judicial personnel.
Even, you can see magistrate in the video is an elderly person. Well, two aspects are dominating the lifestyle in Pakistan. First is corruption and the second is feudalism. Our seniors have spent their lives in the regimes where corruption was not a bad thing. The Nawaz era or the Zardari’s period and even before that, corruption was more like a mandatory effect in every government organization.
Corruption as of Now:
No one can deny corruption in Pakistan at the moment. It is present in our roots but it is declining. You will see the PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz), PPP (Pakistan Peoples Party), and JUI-F (Jamiat Ulema Islami, Fazal) supporters highlighting corruption in Pakistan and blaming the government. Not to forget, the channel that posted that video on YouTube is an N-League supporter.
You may mention, I use to call N-League as the “Najaiz League” (Illicit league)!
I have been saying this, before this government (PTI, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) took office, that Pakistan is drowned deep inside the puddle of corruption and it may take up to 2 decades (20 years) to wipe it off. That is simply because nearly everyone in our country is corrupt.
A Suggestion!
Certainly, we need patience. And kick this thought out of your mind that this government will curb corruption. It will control it (it is doing already), and will reduce it but cannot eliminate it, because 5 years are not enough for that. They will need 3 more turns for that.
And, besides Imran Khan, I do not think anyone in his party is enough capable to bear the pressure of the corrupt opposition, their supporters, and perform his job diligently.
So pray for Pakistan, and begin cleansing the corruption from your end.
Here is something you can look into to practically verify what PTI is doing with Pakistan:
