Moalims

KARACHI:
The root cause of most problems Pakistan suffers from is feudalism. The history of feudal culture dates back to the colonial system, yet it still exists on a massive scale. It was in the 19th century when Britain conquered the Indian subcontinent that we saw the rise of feudalism in our part of the world. For Pakistan to be a truly democratic country, it’s imperative we end the feudal political ethic. Feudalism poses a serious threat to education as feudal lords are averse to the schooling of the poor whom they use as cheap labour. Kofi Annan once said, “Literacy unlocks the door to learning throughout life, is essential to development and health, and opens the way for democratic participation and active citizenship.” There needs to be an easy access to education for all citizens of Pakistan to get rid of the vices of feudalism. The police, instead of taking action against the ruling class who exploit the minority, continue to be influenced by our influential landlords. Honour killings continue to take place in the rural areas, while the government often fails to take strict action against jirgas which settle such cases. On June 15, Tahira Khoso became the latest victim of honour killing. This is evidence of the law not being implemented. Under feudalism, it is impossible to observe basic human rights or to follow the rule of law.
Despite India being viewed as an unfriendly neighbour, there are some valuable lessons that can be learnt from it. The influence of feudalism began to diminish in India from the time of its independence and there are not too many traces of it in the country today. The shift came from borrowing elements of parliamentary democracy and an independent judiciary from England, and federalism and the importance given to fundamental rights from the Bill of Rights in the US Constitution.
The ideology of political parties like the MQM promotes the educated, and discourages feudalism. The MQM has, in the past, reiterated its stance of encouraging people to stop voting for influential landlords. Likewise, the PTI Chairman, Imran Khan, has also regularly condemned feudalism on various occasions, especially during the trial of Shahrukh Jatoi when he urged PTI’s Insaf Students Federation to raise its voice against the brutal killing of Shahzeb Khan. It may take time before Pakistan is completely free from the shackles of feudalism. It is time we started taking initiative in this regard before feudalism destroys our beloved country. Checks and balances should be made an integral part of our political system. Education can be the most powerful tool to curb the influence of feudal lords and for a strong leader to be elected who can reform the current state of Pakistan. It’s still not too late for Pakistan to become a true democratic nation that the Quaid-e-Azam once envisioned.

Samar Ansari

Published in The Express Tribune, July 23rd, 2015.