THE distressing events that we have seen in recent times in our national life have left many people scratching their heads. I am one of them. I graduated from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in 1998; nearly quarter of a century ago. Lately, I have been asking people if they believe any aspect of our situation has improved during this time.

Unfortunately, no one can point out a single measure where we have actually made progress. In fact, we have regressed. This prompts me to ask another question: can you name any other country where you have witnessed such excessive display of pomp, protocol and police security as we see in Pakistan? The resounding answer is in the negative.

Further, I want to know if anyone is aware of a country, excluding those in war zones, where major police offices in two different cities are attacked by terrorists within a fortnight. Once again, the answer is in the negative.

It takes a moment to grasp the connection between these two problems. There is a clear reason why other countries have advanced while we continue to lag behind. The world has learned from experience about what works and what does not. Unfortunately, the current state of affairs benefits those in power, as it enables them to accumulate vast amounts of wealth.

Let us turn our attention to the recent road tragedy in Kallar Kahar in which over a dozen lives were lost. The bureaucracy swiftly sprang into action, filing a first information report (FIR) and making a few arrests, although most of them will likely be released soon after greasing the right palms.

However, in a few weeks, another bus will plunge into a ravine, or the brakes will fail, or a cylinder will explode, and we will offer our thoughts and prayers, just as we have been doing since ages.

Now, consider the Greece boat tragedy. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has issued an appeal for people to come forward and report human traffickers, as if the FIA is unaware of their existence.

A grieving father reveals that his son was sent from Faisalabad to Dubai without a passport/CNIC, and yet the FIA claims to have no knowledge of this. The prime minister took notice of the tragic incident, and a call for mourning was announced, accompanied by more thoughts and prayers. Sadly, no one believes that it was the last such incident, and everyone knows that the cycle would keep repeating itself.

The FIA, police, and motor inspection departments are independent organisations that receive salaries and should be capable of addressing these issues without requiring intervention from the prime minister. They are paid to solve these problems, regardless of which political party is in power. The presence of ‘order’ should be consistent and independent; there are people on taxpayers’ payroll to make sure that this happens.

I have started to believe that it is actually not the politicians’ fault, for it is not their responsibility to maintain order, but rather there is dire need

for a significant overhaul of the bureaucracy. Laws and fines exist so that people know there is an effective working government watching over them. A country that has failed to effectively regulate motor vehicles and traffic over a span of 25 years becomes a prime candidate for a failed state.

Hasan Raza
Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2023