ThestoryofcorruptioninPakistan.

BySyedJaffer
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#sectarianand#religiousharmony. 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 nameoftheironmantothosedaysitwas1958October. 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, AbdurRabNishtarstoodABDOED,ABDOmeantElectiveBodies Disqualification Order. I am not sure if #FatimaJinnah too was

included but sure I never heard of her till 1962. News papers publishedonlywhatAyubwanted. My father used to tell me after partition the bureaucrats that opted for Pakistan acted very honest in the very beginning Secretariestothegovernmentthathadnoofficefurnitureused 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 whateverhecouldputhishandson. 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 immigrantswereequalpartnersintheplunder. I was eight grader in 1958 studied in Iranian Technical School Kharadar and used to go by bus from PIB Colony to

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 passengersthatwouldallrushrunandchasetoclimbit. 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 honestlychargeearlierbythecommonpolice. 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

doctors would not have any private clinicsin the evening. Staff of the income tax department would not prepare documents privately for the trade and business community. With this backgroundAyubstartedimplementingthereforms. His strike was on the bureaucrats also and did a three not threestrikebysacking303officers.KalashnikovwasIsuppose 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 thatwere hindrance in Ayubs wayswere 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 militaryregime. Soon we saw a number of reforms that were later celebrated duringdecadeofreformstoculminatetheAyubera.Tospread educationteacherswereallowedtogivetuitiontothestudents outside schools. There were a lot of very honest teachers but to those who wanted to make money provided opportunity for corruptpractices.

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 alsotheretoprovidetheecologicalbalance. 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 visitthehospitalwhilecomfortingmethatitisnothingserious. When Quaid made the first speech the subject was corruption. When Ayub came his priority was eradication of corruption amongpoliticiansandrulingbureaucrats.Sincecountrybecame 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

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

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 corruptionofthepoliticiansonly. 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 newfoundcountry. 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 madeup beard. Immediate disciples of Maudoodi used to bear smallpox spots

and a few were crosseyed 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 alwaysbefromtheJamaate. The corruption is mostly among the middle class of almost all theurbancentersofPakistan.Tradersandsmallbusinessisthe 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 corrupthonest 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, nonMuslims 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

where sexworkers were free to have their business. Almost everymessinthecantonmenthadnicelymaintainedbar.Most ofthehotelshadvarietyofdifferentwinestooffer. 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 corruptionemanates. 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 ofIslam.AtanoccasionZiausedaninterestingphraseBhutto

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 hisvehiclenoshopkeeperevercaughtfornothavingthebooks, no milk man ever checked if he is selling the adulterated milk. No bus or minibus ever stopped and checked if it is carrying therightnumberofpassengers,theyareforcedtotravelonthe 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

for 8 hours every day, and say only 30 million adult individuals out of Pakistani population hear it, multiplying all together, it makesthewordcorruptionwasheardaccumulative16.8billion times per day. Alas this exercise was not to end or fight the corruption, it was to make sure that Zardari and his political partythePPPPakistanPeoplesPartydoesnotreturntopower. When Quaide Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah delivered his policy speechonthe11thofaugust1947hesaid [[3]] The second thing that occurs tomeis 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 soonasitispossibleforthisAssemblytodoso. [[4]] Blackmarketing is another curse. Well, I know that blackmarketeers 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

conditions, when we constantly face shortage of food and other essential commodities of life. A citizen who does blackmarketing 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,Ithinktheyoughttobeveryseverelypunished, because they undermine the entire system of control and regulation of foodstuffs and essential commodities, and causewholesalestarvationandwantandevendeath. [[5]]Thenextthingthatstrikesmeisthis:Hereagainitisa 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 countenanceit.

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 becauseifwefalselyaccusesomeonethattooiscorruption. 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 oftimesperdaywedonotdoanythingtoinstallmetersonthe 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 reservedforlessdevelopedregions,Icancontinueendlessly. To conclude I am sure the corruption will not end until I myself stopcorruption.