WHERE IS YOUR DESTINATION ?

Now the most important thing for us is to identify our goal that is where we want to go. To which direction we have to advance? If we fix our destination and choose the right path and the right vehicle then we can reach our destination.. But for many years we have been wandering without identifying our destination. We are facing destruction and set-backs but blindly heading towards the unknown destination.
1. We have to educate the whole nation
2. We have to fight against poverty and destitution
3. We have to raise our status and pride in a such a manner that we are respected as a nation in the world.
For education we shall have to employ those methods which have been adopted by those countries which are poorer than us and have lesser resources. We have the examples of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka before us where the literacy rate is round hundred percent. In these countries the government or a few individuals have not made education a source of earning. There every type of education is free of cost. To get educated it is not necessary that the person should be rich or wealthy. The educational institutions give free books as well as scholarships to intelligent students so that more and more people could get education. Pakistan is an atomic power. But in our country education has been totally ignored. By handing it to the private sector it has been turned into a profitable business. Education is not a trade. It is a worship. In order to restrict the scientific and modern technical education to wealthy class the fee and other expenses have been so much increased that for an ordinary degree hundreds of thousand rupees are required which is beyond the capacity of a common man. That is why he is devoid of education.

The present government should publish the statistics showing that during the last ten years how many people have received higher education in science and social studies. How many people have qualified in the modern education of computer. I feel that we can forgive all other lapses of the former rulers but they should be severely punished for establishing monopoly of private sector on education sector and have pushed the whole nation into the darkness of ignorance and this crime is unforgivable. One can pardon bribery, corruption and looting of national exchequer?..but the crime of making the nation illiterate can not be pardoned.

Then next comes the poverty alleviation. The governments all over the world base their economy on strong footings. They know how many people are inhabiting the country. What are their vocations? Those who are unemployed are provided with work. During the reign of kings the big buildings like forts, palaces, prayer places and gardens and parks were built in order to provide work to the people. In the present times the modern and developed nations determine the average per capita income of each individual and for his respectable living a minimum wage is fixed. If they fail to get any employment or the government is unable to provide them work then they are paid an unemployment allowance. The expenses for his education and health are borne by the government. It is the fundamental principle of Islam that every citizen of an Islamic state has:

* A respectable house to live
* employment and healthcare
* security of life and property

But what is our government doing? What has happened during the last fifty years? Feudals, wealthy people, presidents, prime ministers and governors live in official residences and also receive pensions. Although they do not need these facilities because they are capitalists and feudals but they are looking after their class. This tendency continues and it is necessary to finish it.

In order to wipe out poverty and destitution you do not require a huge budget. What is required is a positive approach. There is need for recasting country?s economy. There is need for an expert who could turn the direction of the economy towards lands, factories and the people of the country. In Pakistan the government, under the instructions of IMF and World bank, are selling all public sector industries.. But the most heinous crime of the previous selfish rulers was that they sold first the profitable industries like cement factories and other industries producing Ghee and other consumable items. And some of these industries were sold so cheap that the factory which had only land worth billion of rupees were sold with machinery, bank balance and running business at a very low price. It happened with hundreds of such factories. Thus the rulers turned this process into a business under the name of privatisation. The result was that they kept selling the assets of the country and in this process the sellers and buyers became billionaires and the poor man became poorer and with that the 140 millions Pakistanis were also rendered poorer. The value of the currency of a country which does not own any assets becomes almost zero. This has happened with our country as well. In order to improve the country?s economy it is necessary that secret investigations are carried out about the units that have been sold under the name of privatisation and whosoever has committed this dishonesty should be brought to book. Both the buyers and sellers should be given exemplary punishments. In those countries where privatisation is carried out those industries are sold first which are either running in loss or need more capital. But in our case reverse has happened.

The second important thing is that government allotted industrial plots to industrialists and factory owners at very nominal prices. In the Kot Lakh pat and Kala Shah Kahu industrial areas the lands were sold for a few thousands rupees per acre. Now these industrialists are selling these lands given for the purpose of setting up industries for many hundred thousand rupees per Kanal. Although this land was given to them on lease for setting up industries and not for making colonies. But who should hold them accountable? Only the present government can do this because the previous governments were business partners in their mission of destroying Pakistan.

If the present government declares not to privatise PIA, Railway, WAPDA. Thermal Power Houses and other important units then the value of rupee will increase. There will be more confidence in Pakistani rupee internationally. The plans should be made to expand PIA and WAPDA. The previous rulers received bribes and kickbacks from the transporters and damaged Railway and PIA. This anomaly should be rectified. Railway and WAPDA are like spinal column of Pakistan. To sell these institutions is against the security of Pakistan. However if the defects of these institutions or anomalies created in them are removed the economy can take a turn in the positive direction.

Poverty ,destitution and price hike can not be eliminated by increasing the salaries. More job opportunities should be created in Pakistan. More than 8 thousand factories and industrial units are lying closed. They should be revived. Their products should be properly marketed. There is no harm even if the government has to provide some loans to these industrial units for the running expenditure. There is only one method of poverty alleviation in Pakistan that is that more job opportunities are created and the factories are run three shifts. Any one who wants to work should get a job. Then there will be no poor or destitute in Pakistan. But today around 8 million educated youth are wandering on the roads with the degrees in their hands. The government is duty bound to provide them jobs. This is the primary responsibility of every government and if any government shirks from this responsibility it has no right to rule the country.

The third important point is the question of country?s status and respect. When every one will have to work hard for his livelihood then there will be peace and tranquillity in the country. Every where there will be safety and security. At present whosoever likes starts talking against the security of the country without hesitation. The reason is that majority of the people are frustrated due to unemployment and price hike and that is why they even have the patience to listen to anyr diatribe against Pakistan. Every one thinks that Benazir a feudal woman remained busy in looting the country. Her husband Asif Zardari remained engaged in illegal activities. After them the Nawaz Sharif family and their cohorts started fleecing the country. In these conditions if some politicians tell the people that ?Was Pakistan brought into being for the loot of the feudals and capitalists? ? People are watching all this with open eyes. And are getting disillusioned from all this. But when every one would get busy in his work and receive remuneration in proportion to the work put in by him then no one will have any time left to go and listen to the talk of these useless people. Hence these fake politicians would not be able to mislead the people. .

Thus it is imperative that the economic system of the country is restructured. The non-productive expenditure and the number of bureaucrats is reduced. The people come to the elected bodies on their own discretion. Their stipends should be discontinued. All the concessions given to the prime minister. opposition leader and members of the assemblies should be stopped. No one should be allowed to import a custom free car nor any prime minister or president be allowed to do that. The discretionary powers and budgetary funds of central and provincial ministers, governors and other high officials should be discontinued.

The Pakistani politicians are at present suffering from defeatist mentality and they have passed on this psychological disorder to the masses. The new government should take steps to remove this psychological aberration. The previous rulers were on one hand looting Pakistan and on the other creating discontentment among the people. They would tell the people that if such and such step was not taken the security of the country would be in jeopardy and God bid the country would cease to exist. Shame to them. They are no more in power but Pakistan is there. The people are expecting some sort of relief from the government. The government increased the price of the wheat but the people did not protest against it thinking that this increase would be passed on to the farmers. But what will the people get? The government should reduce the power tariff or reduce the price of petroleum products. Some concession must be given to the people. The Chief Executive should ponder over the fact that during his sixteen months in power what have the people gained. Benazir Bhutto declares from abroad that the government is destroying the country. Kulsum Nawaz says that the government?s days are numbered. What is government doing?

How can the people associated with NGOs who speak English and receive secret funds from foreign countries run the government. All these people have been patronised by the foreign agencies and institutions. It is foolishness to have confidence in them and to have great expectations from them. All these people are supporters of enforcing IMF and World Bank recommendations in Pakistan.