An open letter to the Chief Executive

Columnist ALI ASHRAF KHAN addresses an open letter to Gen Pervez Musharraf

October 12, 1999 has been a red-letter day for Pakistan when the nation and the country got rid of the loot and plunder perpetrated on the poor and innocent people of the country in the garb of democracy. The nation, therefore, hailed this takeover and pins high hopes in you as the leader of the Army which has remained the only institution in the country to give some succour to the suffering people of Pakistan.

Corruption, loot and plunder and that too with novel methods under the protecting hands of the ruling elite and silence and connivance of the regulatory authorities has led to the economic disaster which God forbid was to be followed by a military disaster.

Service to humanity has been the prime concern for human beings as ordained by Allah Almighty in the Holy Quran and it is a pity that in this citadel of Islam the actions of the rulers has been fast converting it into the debris of Islam and now Allah has given yet another opportunity to mend our ways and the nation needs someone who could lead it with a strong hand till the nation becomes use to acting on the tenets of Islam in pursuance of Rizq-e-Halal rather than plunder, loot, arson and murder. Probably Allah has bestowed upon you the honour and opportunity to do this sacred task. The situation at present is a clear depiction of 'Watoo Izoo Mantasha, Watoo Ziloo Mantasha.'

The plunderers and the looters, murderer and the killers do not deserve any sympathy or compunction as they do not have any conscience, the drive against the loan defaulters and the plunderers of national exchequer is a very welcome move, yet its intensity and extension falls short of the common man's aspirations.

The poor people of Pakistan have lost their life's earning through their sweat and blood in the cooperative scandal in Punjab leading to the formation of the Punjab Cooperatives Liquidation Board in 1991. This board was formed ostensibly to liquidate the cooperative societies indulged milching the nation out of their earnings to name a few i.e. National Industrial Co-operative Finance Corporation, Premier Alliance Co-operative Ltd., National Industrial Development Corporation, Services Co-operative Credit Corporation Ltd., National Industrial Coop Credit Corporation, Pasban Co-operative Company, but the inside working of this board was to squeeze the last drop of blood from the depositors, a searching investigation into the working of the Punjab Co-operatives Liquidation Board since 1991 would reveal to any investigator the extent of the loot and plunder committed by this board under the aegis of the so-called democratic governments riding on the crest of popular vote.

The Chaudhry family of Gujrat who today claim to be no defaulters made a rainfall gain by pressurizing the liquidation board and exploiting the helpless depositors of the cooperative societies by manipulating a situation to force them to sell their SMR's to them at a throw away price and in some cases no payments were made to the account holders and mere promise of payment in future were made. No wonder they are not bank defaulters after this rainfall of money squeezed from the sweat and blood of the poor and innocent people of Pakistan. The urban land situated right on the canal bank in mauza Niaz Baig Lahore owned by National Industrial Development Corporation was transferred in their name on 2-12-1992 against SMR's valuing Rs. Three Crore Fifty Six Lacs Forty Four Thousand One Hundred and Eighty Five only which were actually usurped from the account holders of these cooperative societies for nearly Rs. One Crore Thirty Five Lacs from frustrated and helpless people, this valuable piece of land according to the market estimate is worth Rs. Fifteen Crores or more, thus the land belonging to National Industrial Cooperative Finance Corporation remained in the family.

Another major case in example is Malik Noor Hayat Noon, a wealthy landlord of Punjab. Not being satisfied with what God had bestowed upon him and his family he took a loan of Rs.13 Crore from National Industrial Cooperative Finance Corporation for six different projects. His liability stood in 1994 at Rs.18 Crore 67 Lacs or so. The Punjab Co-operative Liquidation Board allowed the influential Mr. Noon to deposit SMR's of third party in payment of their liability. This act of the board instead of protecting the interest of the depositors of co-operative societies protected the interest of the influential defaulter. Many many more such cases will come to light if an impartial inquiry is held in the affairs of the Board and the rule of the influential zamindars, feudals and the politicians will come to light which will attract the attention of not only the National Accountability Bureau but also the Penal Code and the Accountability Ordinance.

The Taj Company, which based its earning on the publication of the Holy Quran, had been no exception to the culture of corruption and greed. There are innumerable investment companies who after taking tons of money from the innocent depositors have then evaporated from the scene with all the money in their pocket with the help of politicians in power and politicians in the opposition. Quite a lot of men and widows who fell victims to the allurement to their advertisements on the electronic and print media in violation of all the rules and regulations under the very nose of State Bank of Pakistan which remained a mute spectator to the extent of being collaborators in the hoary drama of loot and plunder under the guiding hands of the government in power in the name of democracy. The Governor of State Bank would only wake up after the plunder has happened like the proverbial policeman who reaches the scene of action only after the event.

Sir, I have ventured to draw your attention to this financial scramble which has prevailed during the so-called democratic rule as it is going to bring relief to millions and millions of people of Pakistan who have lost their earnings to the swindlers who must be brought to book no matter how so ever highly placed or influential he may be.

Another segment of society, which is going to provide the future rulers of Pakistan, is the youth of our country. When young Clinton visited White House during the Presidency of John F. Kennedy, while shaking hands with the President, young Clinton observed 'Are you aware that you are shaking hands with the future President of America.' How confident young Clinton was, so General Musharraf, it is from the youths that our future ruler is going to emerge and God has bestowed upon you the duty to providing opportunities to the possible leaders by their education and training.

The records of the Public Service Commission will be an eye opener to an impartial observer about the capabilities, abilities and education of our young men and women coming out of our educational institutions, it is on record that one of our feudal education minister had the cheek to declare that we cannot afford to educate our masses. So the people took to short cut and the criminals took advantage by selling out forge degrees; the Universities hold convocations few and far between. Why can't they hold convocations every year and while conferring degrees the Vice Chancellor should charge upon them to prove worthy of the same.

The technical education is the crying need of the time and our youths may be trained to face the challenges of the next millennium in the field of agriculture, science, computer and information technology. Practically anyone who does not know how to handle a computer is considered illiterate in the modern world and more so in the next millennium, our system of education has been devised during the days of the British Raj to provide clerks and 'baboos' to serve their establishment, so they only taught the three R's and that was enough, now the rulers are within us, they do not have to be imported from outside or they come upon us by virtue of their birth. It is, therefore, imperative that full attention to our education policy be given.

A healthy mind is always in a healthy body; therefore, military service should be made a subject in the degree classes with a university officers training corps. So that when need be there may not be any dearth of semi-trained manpower for our valiant Armed Forces.

Tax and the tax payer, I may relate an incident which depicts the expectations of a tax payer in return for the payments that he makes from time to time, one of my friend while driving his car on a thoroughfare had a big jerk from a ditch on the road in America, as soon as he reached his destination, he telephoned the municipal authority that he pays taxes regularly and if on return journey the ditch on the road is not repaired, he is going to sue the municipal authority. The ditch was repaired before he returned. Tax payers are not averse to paying taxes if they see the tangible results of the payment made by them, what happens in our country is that the taxes mostly go to the pockets of the tax collectors, some payments are of course made but results of such payments are not visible, that leads to evasion of taxes, so it is a vicious circle, this is the condition in all the sphere of taxes unfortunately in our government, take for example Zakat, this is one of the five tenets of Islam. People do abide by it, women are more conscious than men about Allah's indictions and they do take out Zakat for their ornaments. A government of our country out of sheer fanatical frenzy imposed Zakat on saving accounts, now what actually happens on the last calendar day of Shaban most balances in saving accounts are transferred to current account and on the second day of Ramzan it is re-transferred to the saving account. Man's ingenuity has taught to deceive Allah.

Iqra Tax, the situation in Iqra Tax surcharge is also not a bit rosy, what is the purpose of this Iqra surcharge and how and where it is being utilized is not visible, so is the situation with Zakat fund. The popular governments have misused the money out of these funds at their personal whims and caprices irrespective of the purpose for which it was levied by Allah Almighty 1400 years ago. So people avoid paying these taxes. Let the payments of the nations be visible in the form of service to their welfare, this will develop a tax payment culture itself. Unless we do that the game of hide and seek between the tax collectors and the taxpayer will continue.

These are some of the points agitating the minds of the people and I hope to continue my endeavour in the interest of the nation and the country.