Economic Injustice

A few weeks ago the news was published that the Punjab government had allotted 4,000 yards (or more) for Rs1,000 per person to army generals, including Gen Pervez Musharraf. The given argument was that they got cheap land because the area was not developed. The history of this country reveals that undeveloped areas get developed quickly where generals and army officials get land. Are army personnel the only bureaucrats serving this country? What about other people who are working in civil bureaucratic institutions and private organizations? Do they also get so many benefits as do the army personnel? Many people still remember that Newsweek published a story in Zia’s era about the richness of our generals.

Poor Living Under open Sky

Of course, it is not very difficult to understand that generals want share in political power to share economic benefits, contrary to the claim that they want to improve the quality of life for the common people.

It is quite disappointing that our middle-class families have to spend huge amounts to buy small residential plots in semi-developed areas because there are hardly any government schemes for the general public to purchase land at the government price. Besides, they cannot think of buying land in undeveloped areas because if they do so, none of the government departments would ever think to develop the area.

In addition, there are many poor families, which are without proper shelter; they are living like nomads but nobody bothers to offer them a piece of cheap land. Whosoever is desirous of seeing as to how these poor and non-privileged families are living, they just need to visit areas near railway lines and other depressed areas of any city of Pakistan. Undoubtedly, they are leading a miserable life. It is height of unjust attitude and behaviour of our political management that these families do not have even tabs of clean drinking water so they are dependent on the mercy of neighbourhood, nor do they have electricity or gas.

It is a truth that these poor families are still leading a life of the early 19th century, if not of the stone age. Have we ever thought what is the future of the children of these families? Can they ever become proud nationals of Pakistan and proud members of Pakistan society? Have we ever thought what benefits they are enjoying after independence? Instead of ignoring these questions, we should sincerely ponder over them if we want to survive as a dignified nation.

We will never become a proud nation if economic injustice prevails in the country. It is time we understood that economic justice only prevails in countries where writ of the law is established and rules are abided by elites as well.

Published in the Daily Dawn: Download Economic Injustice in Pakistan

Nadeem Yousaf

https://nyousaf.com/articles/economic-injustice

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