Sardar Ataullah Mengal — Dawn File Photo
Sardar Ataullah Mengal — Dawn File Photo

“If you saw Jinnah in your dream and asked him if this is his Pakistan, his reply would definitely be that this is not the Pakistan for which he struggled.

Soon after the creation of Pakistan all powers were taken away from the people, the real owners of this country.

The civilian bureaucracy took control in the early 1950s. In 1958 the army intervened and till today has not transferred power to anyone. For a very short period it shared power with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. But even after the East Pakistan tragedy it did not learn a lesson, and Bhutto was ousted.

Pakistan is not a homeland for its inhabitants; the army and agencies are enjoying all the power. It has become a country for a group of corrupt politicians and civilian and military bureaucrats. When people are not getting clean drinking water, how can one say Pakistan conforms to Jinnah’s vision?

As for what Pakistan needs to do to get there, in my opinion it needs a magic wand.”

- Sardar Ataullah Mengal, founder, Balochistan National Party

Opinion

Editorial

Impending slaughter
Updated 07 May, 2024

Impending slaughter

Seven months into the slaughter, there are no signs of hope.
Wheat investigation
07 May, 2024

Wheat investigation

THE Shehbaz Sharif government is in a sort of Catch-22 situation regarding the alleged wheat import scandal. It is...
Naila’s feat
07 May, 2024

Naila’s feat

IN an inspirational message from the base camp of Nepal’s Mount Makalu, Pakistani mountaineer Naila Kiani stressed...
Plugging the gap
06 May, 2024

Plugging the gap

IN Pakistan, bias begins at birth for the girl child as discriminatory norms, orthodox attitudes and poverty impede...
Terrains of dread
Updated 06 May, 2024

Terrains of dread

Restored faith in the police is unachievable without political commitment and interprovincial support.
Appointment rules
Updated 06 May, 2024

Appointment rules

If the judiciary had the power to self-regulate, it ought to have exercised it instead of involving the legislature.