Pakistan Times
June 20, 1990
By Sadiq Jafri
ISLAMABAD—A serious discussion on education system on Tuesday seemed out of place in the on-going mood in the National Assembly. More so because everyone knew that the demands of “revolutionary changes” in the education system are going to remain mere demands for many more years to come, no matter which party comes to power and which does not.
Wali Khan was one of the speakers who supported a cut motion on education budget. While mentioning the examples of socialist countries, Western welfare states and Qaddafi’s Libya, he himself seemed to be sure that it was all irrelevant here. The system of adhocism, commissions and kickbacks are going to stay forever. Bureaucracy is the actual ruler. Everyone else has to spend his or her days in Islamabad under fears, threats and pressures, so that there is no time left for any changes in the system!
Rumors for creating an impression of uncertainty about the PPP Government are circulating these days. Apparently, it seems a campaign by rival IJI. But it is not that simple. The ideas of a martial law, a national government or mid-term polls are all coming from the quiet and cool offices of the all-time rulers—the bureaucrats.
Their main aim is to keep the politicians busy in the game of their survival. So that no one goes into the details of the Budget, which is neither that of PPP nor IJI.
The same is the answer to the crisis in media. The bureaucrats are not afraid of those journalists who write on “politics”, no matter on which side of the fence they are. They are rather encouraged so that the useless controversies flourish and there is no space in newspapers for actual news. So that no writer has time to ask where all the budget money is going. How many projects have been completed and how many exist only on paper? Whether the people get the services of the umpteen ministries or not. What is the state of affairs in lower courts, hospitals, schools, power stations, telephone department, etc. How a common man lives his life. Why it is no more possible to survive if you want to depend only on your honest bucks. And so on and so forth.
Education Minister Ghulam Mustafa Shah has been a teacher all his life. He surely knows all the problems relating to his ministry, but surely, he did not have any answers when he rose to make a reply.
The same system reflected in another debate, a hot one, on a cut motion accusing minority MNA Beram D. Avari of obtaining loans of Rs. 677.2 million without grounds. After the movers had completed their brief statements, the young Avari rose on a point of self-explanation. And there he was: shouting with clenched fists; the real face of a capitalist.
After explaining his position, he started reading from a list of names who he said had obtained similar loans and had got them written off as well. He named Senator Abbas, Ch. Shujaat Hussain and Zahid Sarfaraz, and at that point he was asked to discontinue. Out of the Hall, he gave the remaining names to reporters: Senator Ch. Basharat Ali, Nawaz Sharif, Senator Salim Saifullah, Nasir Ahmad Chatta, Islamuddin Sheikh, Yousuf Ahmad Jogezai, Gen. Habibullah, Mir Afzal Khan and former NWFP Governor Hoti.
But nothing happened in the House after he did that. The cut motion was rejected and the business of the assembly continued. This happens every day. All of them keep accusing each other of swallowing billions and trillions. But nothing comes out of that. It seems that the rulers have a right to spend public money, whether in uniform or not, and the reference to it is just like cutting a joke with friends. They are not answerable to the people, whose miseries are mentioned just for the sake of argument.
And the journalists who really want to write on the actual subjects are in a fix. They should not touch a certain set of VIPs because this could benefit another set of VIPs, who want to replace the earlier ones. If they question the system, this will mean they are questioning the democratic system. If they talk about the past, they have to be on the side of the ruling party. And the show goes on!