Supna Zaidi: Saving Pakistan From Itself
[Supna Zaidi is assistant director of Islamist Watch, a project at the Middle East Forum and editor of Muslim World Today.]
Despite being born at the same time as India, Pakistan seems to be regressing while India becomes an increasingly influential player in global politics. This is because Pakistan has refused to end the feudal system unlike India. Pakistani land reforms were first attempted in the 1950s by General Mohammad Ayub Khan's government, who wanted, among other social improvements, to increase "agricultural output, promote social justice, and ensure security of tenure". However, the regulations didn't really break up large land holdings or reduce the power of the zamindars. The ceiling was placed on individual ownership, not on families, so land was simply distributed among the family members, thus leaving all the power and control with the zamindars.
In 1973, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's government attempted land reform again. Legislation required, "landlords to pay all taxes, water charges, seed costs, and one-half of the cost of fertilizer and other inputs. It prohibited eviction of tenants as long as they cultivated the land, and it gave tenants first rights of purchase. Other regulations increased tenants' security of tenure and prescribed lower rent rates than had existed." However, Bhutto's government was ousted by Zia Ul-Haq, who did not implement the reforms.
Zia chose to ignore the practical needs of the people, preferring to inject a politicized Islamic identity to foment public support in the fight for Kashmir against India and Communism in Afghanistan. Zia passed the misogynist Hudood laws resurrecting archaic practices like the stoning of women for adultery, and made piety a factor in promotions of civil servants. If you were not an orthodox Sunni Muslim, kiss your chance at upward mobility good-bye.
Today, the air is tense wherever you walk in Pakistan. Whether you talk to a middle-class housewife in Karachi, the driver taking you to Lahore, or a schoolteacher in Rawalpindi, the people are jittery. I spoke to a widow who was evicted from her rental after the owners found out she was Shia, a minority Muslim sect in Pakistan. In her new rental, electricity rationing turns off the fans and AC for 3 hours in the morning and two in the evening. At the height of summer, temperatures can reach 115 degrees with humidity. Worse yet, while Musharaff had a tariff on electricity in the 50% range, Zardari raised it to the 70s. Most people believe he is personally pocketing the tax to benefit himself. His fertile history of accepting kickbacks in the 90s makes this conspiracy theory very palatable and explains his nickname of "Mr. 10%."...
Read entire article at Muslim World Today
Despite being born at the same time as India, Pakistan seems to be regressing while India becomes an increasingly influential player in global politics. This is because Pakistan has refused to end the feudal system unlike India. Pakistani land reforms were first attempted in the 1950s by General Mohammad Ayub Khan's government, who wanted, among other social improvements, to increase "agricultural output, promote social justice, and ensure security of tenure". However, the regulations didn't really break up large land holdings or reduce the power of the zamindars. The ceiling was placed on individual ownership, not on families, so land was simply distributed among the family members, thus leaving all the power and control with the zamindars.
In 1973, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's government attempted land reform again. Legislation required, "landlords to pay all taxes, water charges, seed costs, and one-half of the cost of fertilizer and other inputs. It prohibited eviction of tenants as long as they cultivated the land, and it gave tenants first rights of purchase. Other regulations increased tenants' security of tenure and prescribed lower rent rates than had existed." However, Bhutto's government was ousted by Zia Ul-Haq, who did not implement the reforms.
Zia chose to ignore the practical needs of the people, preferring to inject a politicized Islamic identity to foment public support in the fight for Kashmir against India and Communism in Afghanistan. Zia passed the misogynist Hudood laws resurrecting archaic practices like the stoning of women for adultery, and made piety a factor in promotions of civil servants. If you were not an orthodox Sunni Muslim, kiss your chance at upward mobility good-bye.
Today, the air is tense wherever you walk in Pakistan. Whether you talk to a middle-class housewife in Karachi, the driver taking you to Lahore, or a schoolteacher in Rawalpindi, the people are jittery. I spoke to a widow who was evicted from her rental after the owners found out she was Shia, a minority Muslim sect in Pakistan. In her new rental, electricity rationing turns off the fans and AC for 3 hours in the morning and two in the evening. At the height of summer, temperatures can reach 115 degrees with humidity. Worse yet, while Musharaff had a tariff on electricity in the 50% range, Zardari raised it to the 70s. Most people believe he is personally pocketing the tax to benefit himself. His fertile history of accepting kickbacks in the 90s makes this conspiracy theory very palatable and explains his nickname of "Mr. 10%."...