SIR Edmund Burke stated in 1770 that “I am not, one of those, who think that the people are never on the wrong. They have been so, frequently and outrageously, both in other countries and in this. But I do say, that in all disputes, between them and their rulers, the presumption is at least upon a par, in favour of the people”. Pakistan and its citizens, since 1954 have been victim of the greed of its mediocre ruling elite. The Father of Nation MAJ clearly elaborated his vision for Pakistan to be a modern democratic welfare state to be ruled by the people through their elected representatives. Pakistan was achieved through a constitutional political struggle and its salvation lies in continuation of political process, where the will of the people must reign supreme.
Nature bestowed upon Pakistan a fertile land with abundance of manpower and natural resources. All that was needed was a government of the people, for the people and by the people, which should have harnessed what nature had bestowed us with. The political leadership which India inherited in 1947 prevailed and they harnessed their human resources etc. Today it has become an economic power. Unfortunately, after MAJ’s demise the mediocrity that has been at helm since 1954 has damaged this country. What could be more criminal and evil, than the slanderous character assassination campaign against Fatima Jinnah by a tinpot dictator, in which the paid bureaucracy which we inherited from British Colonial Raj were party to.
People who might have visited Dubai in the 70s and 80s, would remember that this was a barren desert, with a small airport and hardly any green areas. What baffles me is the obsession of our ruling elite with Dubai model. The rulers of Dubai have converted a barren desert into a commercial and tourist attraction, with green patches to please the eye, with artificial lakes etc. It is the ingenuity of its rulers and their commitment to the land of their birth and origin, who have developed it to a business center of repute, which attracts investments from people of all nationalities. They have developed tourism, offering clean beaches, free from any pollution, shopping malls and a variety of hotels to cater for all types of visitors. No one will see any clergy creating a fuss at the beaches, nor any politically engineered dharnas to remove a duly constitutional government. Foreigners are free to bathe in the clean beaches, with lots of sunshine. There are no issues of security and the business-friendly policies, make it the ideal choice of people of all nationalities. Their bureaucracy, dare not create red tape hurdles, or demand kickbacks from foreign investors. The aesthetic sense of its rulers, motivated them to build an artificial lake, identical to Lake Michigan in Chicago using desalinated sea water to fill it. The green patches, trees, colorful gardens have transformed the barren desert to a city state. I fail to understand obsession of our ruling elite with the Dubai model. It makes no sense to build artificial lakes on land where river Ravi existed for centuries. Creating concrete structures for a housing society project in the path of river flow, creates obstructions, which only aggravate ravages created by floods, whenever India periodically releases excess water. The three natural rivers which we surrendered to India under the Indus Water Basin Treaty, maybe dry, but they facilitate flow of water its safe collection. Blinded by greed, the powerful land mafia were allowed to go ahead with Ravi Urban Development Project and construction on periphery of dry Ravi bed. Obstructing flow of water path creates havoc when floods occur, destroying homes, human life, standing crops and animals. Even the picturesque Islamabad’s Shakarpariyan Hills and National Park have fallen prey to the greed of powerful real estate mafia, who are bent on destroying the forest, chopping down trees that serve as oxygen generators for hundreds of thousands who live in Pakistan’s capital. Why should this hill be chosen to build clubs and residences for the paid elite of this country? The powerful nexus of real estate developers and the political or paid elite have their evil eyes on our Mangroves which are essential for Karachi.
Pakistan has abundance of green cultivated land, with rivers, mountains, glaciers and valleys which nature has bestowed. The beneficiaries of this criminal negligence, involved in real estate greed, have chosen to live in Dubai, Spain, Canada etc., where neither green agricultural land can be converted to concrete jungles, nor can trees be chopped. This obsession and domination by the powerful real estate mafia has disturbed the natural habitat and we are witnessing an environmental disaster, where even the air we breathe is toxic, hazardous for inhaling. Neem trees or Nimtree also known as Indian Lilac, which were environmentally friendly, have disappeared and replaced by alternate tress that consume more underground water. It makes no sense to plant Date Palm trees, which are ideal for deserts, to be planted in a fertile soil which by nature is suitable for many other types of trees that have grown for centuries in subcontinent. The native trees of Punjab are Banyan, Indian Rosewood, Sheesham, Ashoka etc. The fertile soil of Pakistan is famous for fruit orchards, vegetables, wheat, Basmati Rice etc. Dubai, on the other hand, was a barren desert. They have gone for green houses, ideal for vertical harvesting, drip water technology etc to boost their agriculture produce. We, on the other hand, are damaging the blessings that Nature has gifted to Pakistan, upsetting the natural balance and are witnessing the fallout, in shape of SMOG, which has become a regular feature, preceding onset of winter, in Punjab and other parts of the country. Semi literate real estate dons influence major political parties. This unplanned urbanization is having its impact on the environment, creating pollution in Karachi and as far north as the KP.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Lahore.
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views expressed are writer’s own.
