CITIZENS of Pakistan and all stake holders must wake-up to face ground realities and resolve misgivings and sense of deprivation.
There is a need to enforce Unity, Faith and Discipline in all federating units.
This must start from the very top.
It was the political struggle waged by men with intellect, integrity and commitment to achieve for Muslim majority, a country where they could live in peace and harmony with citizens of other faiths, without any fear or discrimination by the majority.
There was no armed struggle involved and no role played by paid bureaucracy, created by the British Raj for the benefit of HM government.
MAJ’s motto was Unity amongst all citizens, with Faith in the Constitution as supreme law and Discipline by submitting to “Rule of Laws” as elaborated in the Constitution, without any exceptions.
It is an unfortunate reality that our neighbouring country on western borders is ruled by Hindu fundamentalists and supremacists with their professed hatred for Muslims and members of all other faiths residing in India.
It is no longer ruled by saner politicians, who were imbibed and restrained by Gandhi Jee’s philosophy of non-violence and tolerance for members of all other faiths and ethnicities.
The man who murdered Gandhi Jee, an extremist Nathuram Godse, associated with Shiv Sena is considered and revered as a hero by Modi and other extremists.
They have built a “Murti” of his, a practice, reserved for saints and heroes.
Pakistan and its stakeholders, including politicians, must realize that they need to restore Jinnah’s vision of a modern democratic welfare state for all citizens.
It has been in hibernation ever since 1954, especially in the post 1958 era when the country was ruled by dictators, who had contempt for MAJ.
This was visible in the manner, in which Madr-e-Millat Fatima Jinnah was harassed and subjected to state funded malicious propaganda.
There were others like Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy, Justice M.R.Kiyani, who all died under mysterious circumstance and no investigations were ever conducted.
MAJ’s vision of a democratic welfare state was reduced to a so-called security state and the irony is that since then, citizens of Pakistan have faced the curse of extremism, terrorism, fanaticism, ethnic and sectarian divide.
Dictators all over the world, like the colonialist occupation powers, have employed the practice of ‘Divide and Rule’.
There was absolutely no need for needless controversy about building new canals, diverting water from existing fertile lands at a time when water scarcity is an existential threat to this country.
First right of ownership, of any land belongs to people who live on it and have been tilling this land, or using it for grazing their animals, who form an essential part of the echo system and food supply chain.
This outdated remnant of Raj Legacy to allot state or evacuee property land to paid employees and political cronies must cease.
This practice was abandoned in the UK almost a century back.
Ever since this scheme of absentee state subsidized landownership has been revived in Pakistan, the yield per acre has decreased along with a constant decline in net cultivable land acreage.
What has emerged is either farm-houses or concrete jungles built by Land Dons, on land where once existed fruit orchards or wheat and other vital agricultural produce grew.
Our coastline has been ravaged by the forcible occupation of land by the real estate mafia, enabled by provincial governments and regulatory bodies like the MDA.
Mangroves have vanished and hundreds of acres face severe soft soil erosion due to unchecked sea waves.
Rather than politicizing the issue, provincial and district authorities must act by building protective structures.
Even the Margalla Hills in Islamabad haven’t been spared by these powerful encroachers.
In Lahore, the historic Walton airport—operational since 1962—was sacrificed for a commercial district after felling numerous trees.
This is a clear example of state-enabled environmental degradation.
Worse still, a housing project is being constructed directly in the natural flow path of the Ravi River.
Can anyone imagine the devastation during a flood?
It seems nobody cares.
Every major city needs an alternate airport for emergencies, yet here, one was demolished to satisfy the land mafia and elite fixated on state land allotments—regardless of the consequences for the environment and the people.
This reckless approach must end before irreversible damage is done.
It is time to read the writing on the wall.
Public patience is running out, evident from widespread protests against new canal construction.
Water scarcity is a stark reality and the outdated 1991 quotas are no longer applicable.
With declining water availability, both upper and lower riparian regions—like KP, Punjab and Sindh—must reduce their shares.
Conservation must be prioritized, with agricultural production as the main focus, while non-essential projects should be dropped.
The reduced flow of millions of cusecs of water into the sea has worsened coastal soft soil erosion.
Urgent steps such as building walls and dykes are needed to prevent further damage.
The State must also address the longstanding grievances of the people of Baluchistan, ensuring they benefit from local land and resources.
In Gwadar, land allotments should have been regulated to protect locals from exploitation by real estate mafias.
Though much harm has been done, it is not too late to correct course.
Strong action is needed to stop drug smuggling and the influx of terrorists, arms and ammunition from Afghanistan.
These challenges demand immediate and sincere efforts for the collective good of the nation.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Lahore. (mtrqa213@gmail.com)
