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“No one in the Pakistani government is interested in change"

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“No one in the Pakistani government is interested in change”

By Azeem Ibrahim Published: January 30, 2015
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He surrendered his UK passport in the hope of giving something back to his country of birth. PHOTO: WIKIPEDIA

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So, Chaudhary Mohammad Sarwar has finally resigned as the governor of Punjab. This has not been exactly unexpected. Rumours had been circulated for many months that he was deeply unhappy with those that surrounded him at the top of Pakistan’s political power structure. I can also explain just why he has become so disillusioned.


My first experience in high-level policy making taught me an invaluable lesson about Pakistani politics. Many years ago, when I was but a wide-eyed PhD researcher starting my fellowship at Harvard’s Kennedy School, I managed to secure a private meeting with a Pakistan cabinet minister who was visiting the school. During our brief meeting, I excitedly presented him with a number of very simple ideas on education reform and tackling illiteracy, and asked his assistance in getting this material to the right government officials for consideration.

His response was something that I will never forget. He thanked me for the great effort I had put into the proposals but then looked directly at me and told me, sheepishly, that no one in the Pakistani government is interested in change. They are all happy with the status quo, and if anyone presented ideas for change they will immediately feel threatened. It was therefore best if I kept my ideas to myself.

So it cannot come as a surprise that someone as competent and experienced as Sarwar did not find much enthusiasm for his ideas to build a better Pakistan. Here was a man who was not only a successful self-made businessman, but was also the UK’s first Muslim Member of Parliament. Having served diligently in the cut and thrust of brutal Westminster politics for over a decade, he surrendered his UK passport in the hope of giving something back to his country of birth. But he would have found both his competence and his zeal for reform a political liability. His record of achievement would have marked him as a competitive threat to the lazy established political elite. There is no room in Pakistani politics for someone who would rock the boat, and unsettle convenient policy gridlocks.

And this is why his resignation is also truly depressing. If someone of Sarwar’s calibre, experience and determination did not see any hope in trying to better his country from the lofty offices of the governor of Punjab and felt it was best to serve Pakistan as a private citizen, what message does that send about the current state of democracy?

Sadly, everyone expects politicians to indulge in some corruption and skim some cream of the top – such is the state and confidence of the second oldest profession in Pakistan. But if only that were the only problem. The problem with the current administration goes beyond mere corruption. It also adds gross incompetence at every level. Take the most recent occurrence ofblackouts and fuel shortages in a country that is full of resources as an example. Such a failure to maintain basic infrastructure even in favourable conditions is telling. As is the fact that no one is likely to be held responsible for what was an easily avoidable catastrophe.

In the end, this was Sarwar’s problem. He possessed the career ending qualities of competence and honesty, and there is no place in the current Pakistan political environment for people like that. Everyone would have wished Sarwar better success, but even saints see no point in preaching at the gates of hell.


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Azeem Ibrahim
An International Security and Geopolitics Lecturer at the University of Chicago. Fellow and Member of the Board of Directors at the Institute of Social Policy and Understanding and a former Research Scholar at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and World Fellow at Yale. He is the Strategic Policy Advisor to Imran Khan and he tweets as @AzeemIbrahim (twitter.com/AzeemIbrahim)
 
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no surprise. change would mean getting rid of all the corrupt and dead weight officials. change is a death sentence for them and anyone who supports or relies on them.
 
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True in fact. Recently LEA have requested to put a Government MP on restricted movement list due to his contacts with banned militant organisations! He belongs to Gujrat constituency. What else you can expect?
 
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Let me be honest with you all, this DEMOCRAZY system in Pakistan is so dam corrupt & evil that no one wants to change it all, even IK wants a to enjoy this corrupt system. If any one says no he wants to change it then what do they think about this statement which he keeps giving every now & then "We don't want to derail democracy....".

The way I see it, the constitution of Pakistan has become the greatest enemy of Pakistan & in order to bring complete change in EVERYTHING this constitution needs to blown sky high.
 
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PTI is not interested in any change, only change of government :D

Yeah don't you remember that IK said we actually want Go Nizam GO and when this bloody system will leave Pak then there will be a change in Pakistan which PTi will bring. Aai Aai PTI :D
 
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IK said we actually want Go Nizam GO

When Dr. Qadri proved the system to be flawed, than Imran Khan stood beside Zardari.
Now, what's the problem with same system?
I will only believe that Imran Khan truly believe in justice, when he support change in ballot paper with option of 'NON' i'm quoting from Dr. Qadri's master reform plan... does Imran Khan have any?
 
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Good article 100% true no politicions want change all they want is do corruption as much as possible.
 
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When Dr. Qadri proved the system to be flawed, than Imran Khan stood beside Zardari.
Now, what's the problem with same system?
I will only believe that Imran Khan truly believe in justice, when he support change in ballot paper with option of 'NON' i'm quoting from Dr. Qadri's master reform plan... does Imran Khan have any?

Okay, and what exactly Qadri did before 2013 elections. He got a lollypop and went away? Atleast IK acquired a province known as KPK and the way he is doing and trying to bring electoral reforms I am sure he will bring it and will win next elections. IK never backed Zardari.

The same system isn't a problem, the way same system is running is problem and people whom are running this system is the problem.

IK and his team have a master plan and I can see a bit of that by their performance in KPK and also PTI told their master plan in their manifesto, you can read that, it was the best and non-competent manifesto.
 
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Let me be honest with you all, this DEMOCRAZY system in Pakistan is so dam corrupt & evil that no one wants to change it all, even IK wants a to enjoy this corrupt system. If any one says no he wants to change it then what do they think about this statement which he keeps giving every now & then "We don't want to derail democracy....".

The way I see it, the constitution of Pakistan has become the greatest enemy of Pakistan & in order to bring complete change in EVERYTHING this constitution needs to blown sky high.
You pointed out problems that exist in the system, there would be Some solution some where too. Is it an authoratarian structure that you advocate? Please advice!
 
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give us your obama ... .he come up with the slogan " Change we need " i guess :D
 
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The only change in Pakistan is either dictator ship or democracy !
Let me be honest with you all, this DEMOCRAZY system in Pakistan is so dam corrupt & evil that no one wants to change it all, even IK wants a to enjoy this corrupt system. If any one says no he wants to change it then what do they think about this statement which he keeps giving every now & then "We don't want to derail democracy....".

The way I see it, the constitution of Pakistan has become the greatest enemy of Pakistan & in order to bring complete change in EVERYTHING this constitution needs to blown sky high.

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"As there is a degree of depravity in mankind which requires a certain degree of circumspection and distrust, so there are other qualities in human nature which justify a certain portion of esteem and confidence. Republican government presupposes the existence of these qualities in a higher degree than any other form. Were the pictures which have been drawn by the political jealousy of some among us faithful likenesses of the human character, the inference would be, that there is not sufficient virtue among men for self-government; and that nothing less than the chains of despotism can restrain them from destroying and devouring one another."

- The Federalist #55, from The Federalist Papers
The Federalist Papers should be required reading for any would-be statesmen interested in bettering republican government.
 
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