The Pseudo Graduates of Pakistani Ruling Class.
The recent uproar in the elected house of Punjab, the largest Pakistani province, has once again proved that the ruling class has no lower limit in moral bankruptcy and can turn blatantly audacious to defend it also. The members were furious against the media who, according to them, was out to drag them through the mud on the issue of fake educational degrees. Academic degrees of a considerably large number of parliamentarians have turned out phony. These notorious politicians come from almost all political parties.
Higher Education Commission(HEC), The top education body of the country, has declared degrees of a large number of parliamentarians fake. Punjab parliament ,however, passed a resolution accusing the media of “irresponsibility that is damaging the democracy”. They however failed to clarify whether findings of Higher Education Commission were not based on facts. Journalists, in reaction, protested outside the assembly for more than three hours, chanting slogans against “forgers and cheats”. The media maintains that the scandals of fake degrees were unearthed by the politicians themselves to expose their rivals and media had done nothing except covering the stories which was part of their professional duties.
The dirty rich Pakistani politicians are already well known for amassing wealth through illegal means. A vast majority comes from feudal class who wield power through their fiefdoms and, for last many generations, have been occupying hereditary seats in provincial and federal elected assemblies. It may be mentioned that Pakistan is continuing with the most primitive land-ownership pattern and no serious attempt has been made during the sixty two years life of the country to bring any land reforms. The government functionaries posted in the arenas of these land- lords, including police, have to appease them lest they are transferred out. Criminals are thus protected and kidnapping for ransom is order of the day. There is no tax of any type on agricultural sector.
The non-agricultural members of Parliament, however, are not angels either. Pakistani consumers frequently face excruciating shortage of sugar and wheat-flour, the staple food in the region, and it is an open secret that the profiteering mill owners, responsible for shortage, have always been getting off the hook being members of cabinet and parliament.
Major political parties including the ruling PPP, are owned and run by the dynasties. No election has ever been held within these parties. The amendment in the country’s constitution brought by the army dictator Gen.Pervez Muasharraf, now in self exile, making the intra- party elections mandatory, has been undone by the present parliament. The ruling party is headed by the husband of the slain leader Benazir Bhutto, who is on paper co-chairman of the party. His son, a student at Oxford, is the chairman. Muslim League (N), the second biggest party is led by Nawaz Shareef, the wealthy industrialist who oocupied prime minister’s office twice in past. He is assisted to control the party by his brother, nephew, son in law and other close relations. Similar is the plight of other parties.
Politicians are known for tax evasion. Mr.Nawaz Shareef whose realties and factories are sprinkled across the continents from Jeddah to London, has paid Rs.5000 ( less than $60) to the state exchequer as income tax. Asset declarations of many parliamentarians indicate that they are too wretched to afford even cars. Interestingly, the country’s Election Commission has accepted the declarations knowing very well that these “car-less” members own fleets of expensive luxury vehicles.
Recently a politician who was disqualified from the parliament by the apex court on the charge of having fake degree has been returned to the house by his constituency.
It appears that the war between the parliamentarians and the media, will last for quite some time before it is replaced by some new outrage involving corrupt political elite.