Pakistan – yesterday, today and tomorrow
By : Abdullah Shah
After completion of my secondary school certificate from the only educational institution of the rest of Northern Areas, High school Gilgit which is still located in the same premises in Gilgit city I decided to move towards Karachi in early seventies intend to carry on my endeavors for further studies. Nevertheless, it was an astonishing moment for me because it was a game changing journey for me for my future life and of course it was my first visit of any cosmopolitan and mega city of West Pakistan. In the period of sixties the combine population of East and West Pakistan was something like 110 million and luckily the people of both the parts of Pakistan were comparatively more prosperous than present days. Despite little earnings, all the classes of societies were enjoying palmy days whether they were labors, peasants, and servants of government, semi government or private organization they were well pleased in their habitats.
Unlike now a days the people were entirely free from anxiety of daily rising commodity prices which often become substantial cause of misbalancing the family budget and of course at some extent the traders hate adulteration in their goods to become overnight opulent at the cost of others life, indeed our compatriots were unobservant of contaminated water and even ecological misbalances. Besides this, we are all understands how much importance of the energy resources for a moderate human society especially electric power and natural Gas has a fundamental role for the development and progress of a country and it was also a good omen that some three and half decades back our entire milieu was not aware of the load-shedding and it is menace and deleterious consequences.
Nevertheless, the facility of natural gas was yet not provided for every brink of Pakistan, albeit wherever pipeline of natural Gas was available most of the residential consumers were being exulted the connections without installation of miters and were charged according to the fixed tariffs introduced by the Gas company and indeed the admiring part of this narrative is that the natural Gas was provided to the consumers without any interruption round the clock with maximum "Million British Thermal Units" (MBTU), pressure. Apart from this, the consumer prices of essential commodities in the open market were also unbelievably in the affordable limits of ordinary buyers i.e. sugar was just for PKR: 0.25 per kilo, mutton was only PKR: 2.50 per kilo, flour was around less than PKR: 4/- per twenty Kilo and certainly every item was in the excess of all strata's.
The bothersome of this tale is that gradually with the pace of time the bridle of the affairs of state come into the hands of incapable and indecent individuals and eventually destiny of our compatriots steered moving towards deterioration. Ironically our felonious leaders were having nothing capability and worth to tackle a prevailing chaotic situation decorously and make reformation and transform a suitable orientation for our nation. Certainly they succumbed to numerous compromises in their planning and egregiously omit to outline an appropriate modus operand for stability and tranquility within our society which pushed our milieu into unbridled corruption, terrorism and lawlessness.
Moreover, in the entire period of previous regimes the egotist political and dictatorial governments introduced abundance of detrimental reform packages likewise National Reconciliation Ordinances (NRO), Plea bargains etc. Such sort of antagonistic and suspicious package not only saved the dishonest personals from dispassionate accountability rather encouraged these rogues, mendacious, incapable, & corrupt politicians and government servants by providing once again a complete opportunity to execute and accomplish their nefarious plan. These reform packages enabled them to regained power by swindling the people of Pakistan and they permanently occupied the governing system of the country as a result many swindlers, avaricious and knavery type of individual replaced the capable, effective, unimpeachable and rectitude incumbents of high offices across the country.
Thus, without any hindrance these surrogates were ought rightly roll backed the countrywide favorable smooth going structure of governance and these novice incumbents keeping in mind accumulation of immense troves and yearn of outpacing the people of their class they coalesce their cronies and fiat them to adopt at maximum possible extent unfair means of ways alike corruption, adulterations, nepotism etc. consequently as inference bit by bit the ethos and integrity of our nation become instinct from their characters and it is hoodoo at last entire milieu become pauper from human ethics. In the past our media also deliberately remain dormant instead taking timely initiatives by highlighting essential issues in appropriate manner to help out in restraining and eradicating fast emerging devastating situation in the country created by incapable, irresponsible & unscrupulous politicians and bureaucrats whom holds plum of offices.
In terms of amelioration now a days the nation is experiencing a good omen, the time of across the board accountability proses is already sets in and numerous corrupt proponents irrespective of any position in the society facing surveillance and apprehension on various allegations and also the booty wealth is being recovered from such sort of plunderers of public exchequers. Once again the atmosphere of despondency and mawkish structure is worn out and it precisely discerns a ray of light for the general public that our milieu is gradually coming out from the clutches of corrupt mafias and likewise in the past our society de novo debut a corruption free journey on the new highway of progress.