Pakistan: A tricycle of Politics, Disasters and Land. The condition in Pakistan is worsening.

Common held view is that Providence and Politics both have a share to play in this situation. It is felt by many that country is doomed and the only way is towards failure but some people are hopeful that it can only get worse to a certain degree, and there must be a dawn after this pitch black night. Both views can be considered emotional, as is the case, with anything to do with ones country. However, in the midst of this chaos, it is more important not to judge things for what they are not. Considering the political turmoil that Pakistan is in right now, it is easier to look ahead in the (near/far.....depending on ones perspective) distant future or in the (Malign/Glorious........once again depending on ones narrative of history) Past. For now it seems the country is in going through a storm and perhaps people are waiting for dust to settle down to see the clear picture. Only in last 10 years country has seen- Fight against terrorism, Military rule, Democracy, Fundamentalism, Terrorism, Corruption, Growth, Natural Disasters, Assassination of a Political leader, deaths of children, women, civilians, soldiers, Literacy rate (surprisingly go up) Growth fluctuation, accused by America (Its apparent alley) accused by India (its natural neighbour) , Lawyers movement, Free Media, Sanctioned on Text messages, political friendships and political betrayal. No wonder people think its existence is a miracle. However, some even argue that it cannot match the famines of Somalia or deaths in Ivory Coast. I believe that it is not only impossible but unethical to compare such situations. Alas, it will not stop. Imran Khan, his followers say, is the man of the hour. Or as some reluctant supporters suggest is the need of the hour. In any case Mr Khan has seen his political image rise at a not very slow pace. This makes the next election a very exciting time. I wonder whether Mr Khan believes himself to be one eye leading the blind or a natural leader. There are, no doubt, many critics and sceptics as well. They believe Mr Khan might not be the one. Some of the reason his critics suggest make a valid argument. They argue that Mr Khan is one man party. People, if, will choose his party it will be because of Imran Khan and his credentials as a Pakistani rather than as a Politician. Following on to this point they suggest that there seems no one else except for Imran Khan in his party. That might work against Khan. Pakistan is a, if not anything else, a feudal society. Sindh suffers from classic feudalistic conditions. Balouchistan and Kyber Pakhunkhawa are tribal areas. Punjab, the most urbanzed province has historically ,except for one or two situations, has only voted for one party. The culture environment, if not an enforced order, will make them vote someone they know. Needless to say, this can change. However this voting criterion cannot be ignored. Punjab the biggest province and the most prosperous, seems to be hot seat for Khan to enter political power. Even this can be argued at length. For Nawaz Shariff is still a very popular leader in urban areas of Punjab.

It makes me wonder why Khan ignores this issue. In his defence, he says, people have always told him he cant do something and eventually time has shown that not only he achieved his goal but surpassed peoples expectations. Khan is appears to be an ardent reader. His speeches are full of references and historical referneces. One person that he quotes very often is Aristotle. Along with Aristotle his teacher Plato are considered two of the greatest minds of western philosophy. According to Plato, the best form of government is by a Philosopher King. This king will be helped by guardians and these guardians are to be denied excess property. Should they ever acquire homes or lands or moneys of their own, they will become housekeepers and husbandmen instead of guardians; enemies and tyrants instead of allies to the other citizens Plato...The Republic Khan has always accused other leaders for acquiring wealth and looting the poor people. His argument is that the team he has got have got the educational and ethical credentials that other politicians in Pakistan lack. If Khan sees himself as a Philosopher King, whether one admires him or not, will come to a conclusion that at least, that is better that one-eyed leading the blind. Khan ( Tehreek-e- Insaf, Imran Khans political party)faces the same issues that every other political party faces. It is either far too easy or far too difficult to suggest which party might win elections. And I find myself incapable of both. Right now, the tragic reality is that Pakistan is facing its own disastrous Environmental conditions. It is widely viewed within Pakistan, perhaps with a mild degree of certainty, that it is Providence not nature. It has forsaken the people because of all the sinful things that have started happening. Although, it provides a perspective but it cannot be logically argued. For centuries, it was thought that diseases were God sent. The anger was transformed into atrocities and sent in shape of many mysterious and any apparent known origins. Only till few decades ago, it was strongly believed Famines were divine punishments for several reasons. Now we have come to understand the causes and effects of these melancholic conditions. Even though, we have not established cures for all the diseases and still now in Kenya and Somalia people are starving due to severe droughts and eventual famine, the policy to react to these issues will not blame nature for such actions. Natural disasters and the effects are relatively new subjects. As one Economist who works on Economics and Natural Disasters Jose Albala Bertrand , in his paper The unlikeliness of Economic Catastrophe suggests that Natural disasters might convert into Catastrophe due to vulnerability within the system. The paper goes on to talk about how the impact of the disaster can be controlled if not mitigated. More literature is being written on how Natural disasters affect Economic stability of the system. But one may ask at this point, what is the impact of Economic stability on Natural disasters. Whether these two questions originate from different backgrounds or they are just two sides of the same coin.

No one, with slight knowledge of World affairs, will question if told that, Pakistans political and even social systems are vulnerable. But few might question if told that there is a lot wealth with certain cluster in Pakistan. It should be noted that purpose write a reminder that epidemics and Famines are causes of resource mismanagement is not to underrate the impact nature has on Environment. Without a hint of suggesting such thing, It should be noted that thinking about containing disasters, at least for now, is in our hands. Adam Smith, the alleged Father of Modern Economics, suggested that one big Castle may have incorporated wealth of 500 families within it. Although it is suggested that Smith was a fervent supporter of free market and laissez faire, those who have read him, as suppose to those who have heard what he has written, will come to the conclusion that he was also a strong supporter of government intervention within certain aspects. But that is another subject for another time. Pakistan fundamental and deeply rooted social issue is Feudalism. Mehboob ul Haq, the prominent Pakistani Economist said the 200 Families rule Pakistan. It was in 1970s. But has anything changed in last 30 years? There is little evidence to suggest anything has. The issues of feudalism, in modern sense, cannot be based on just land. Feudal lords of England in 16th century used to exude power and it is this power that modern feudal of Pakistan possess. Land is one, but not a mutually exclusive, form of acquiring power. The irony is that religion, in one of the ways, can be the modern way of acquiring power too. Land reforms have taken place in Pakistan. But their effectiveness can be questioned. The reforms have had technical issues. Most notable was the case that it put a fix amount on land one person can own. Even if (Thats a capital IF) this rules was followed, there was a legal way owning the same land within one family. The issue of Feudalism has been raised by MQM. The party, which originated in Karachi, an urban area and it says against the injustices against the urdu speaking people. (Muhjir- the people who migrated- is taken as an offensive word) However, the party has until very recently, a complete monopoly in Karachi, the financial capital of Pakistan. Hence it has enjoyed great power, but rarely their policies have benefitted the farmers of rural areas. Neither, when in Power have they addressed any issues to tackle Feudalism what so ever. Education, Terrorism along with corruption remains three of the basic issues that any government promises to tackle before it comes to power. Land and issues pertaining to land is felt to have second degree of importance. But in a country like Pakistan where majority of household have a direct earning from land and even more is the proportion of poor people whose lives depend on Land, the issues relating to it require debate and discussion. Land reform in Pakistan is not generating enough literature, as was the case with identity cards. Now the Government of Pakistan has the biggest data base of its citizens. The Government of India is planning to offer UIDAI to Indian citizen so it is can identify poor and after that it will be a matter of offer services to the poor. From that logic, Pakistans government should have already identified the poor. The utopia that India government is trying to create should have been reality in Pakistan by now. But, dont be surprised by the news that no such thing has happened.

Every government in Pakistan has always employed resources to get maximum benefit for their elections. Resources employed for this purpose cannot be employed for other things. Budget spent of defence cant be spent on Education. Money spent on projects such as ID cards was not spent on proper land reforms. In economics, this phenomenon is known as opportunity cost. It is taught in 1st year Undergrad.