Headlines:
- Only Islamic Economic System will Act as the Springboard for the Development of Masses not the CPEC
- No Political Party can ever Alleviate Poverty through Democracy
- 672 Trillion Rupees Loss Confirms Need to Tear up Alliance with US
Only Islamic Economic System will Act as the Springboard for the Development of Masses not the CPEC
Speaking at the CPEC Summit 2018 organised by the Dawn Media Group and the Ministry of Planning and Development with the participation of the Pakistan-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry at Bagh-i-Jinnah Karachi on 23 April 2018, the prime minister said that just three years ago the CPEC had been an unknown word, but today it was known not only in Pakistan but all over the world. He said “It (CPEC) provides Pakistan with platform for development. Since President Xi Jinping has signed the agreement, CPEC is becoming a reality. Transmission lines are being laid. Highways, motorways and road networks are being developed as are railways. The special economic zones to build businesses and increase trade will be the fruits of CPEC.”
Since the inception of CPEC the political and military leadership of Pakistan has been presenting it as a game changer for Pakistan. However, it is a reality that this project is driven by China so the primary purpose of it is to serve the interests of China, not Pakistan. In the same conference Federal Commerce Secretary, Mohammad Younus Dagha, said after various projects under CPEC the trade balance has substantially tilted in favour of China due to massive increase in imports. “Loan repayments will increase our balance of payments deficit with China” he added. Similarly Dr Ishrat Husain, former governor State Bank of Pakistan, said that many local companies are worried that Chinese companies are being given preference over their Pakistani counterparts for industrial zones. So it is clear that Pakistan may receive some small benefits from this massive project, however, these are outweighed by losses through rising Chinese access to Pakistan’s raw materials and markets. Moreover, Pakistan will never achieve its actual great potential. CPEC will not end the economic miseries of Pakistan until the root cause of these miseries is addressed which is capitalist economic system. It will add to the problem, by exposing Pakistan to Chinese colonialism, alongside the prevalent Western colonialisation. Concentration of wealth in the hands of the few will remain. It is the same capitalist economy which has created severe problem of distribution of wealth worldwide even in the advanced economies of West and East like US or China, despite high rates of production.
So for Pakistan the game changer is not the CPEC. The game changer Pakistan needs is the complete implementation of the Islamic Economic system which focuses on the distribution of resources to eradicate the poverty of each and every individual. In its Introduction to the Constitution, Hizb ut Tahrir has adopted in Article 124 “The primary economic problem is the distribution of wealth and benefits to all of the subjects of the State, and facilitating their utilisation of this wealth and benefits, by enabling them to strive for them and possess them.” Islam ensures that the wealth of the country reaches every individual subject, such that no one is prohibited from access to it and secondly, facilitates every individual subject to possess and benefit from this wealth. The poor distribution of wealth amongst the individuals results in the poverty of the individuals. The problem is the distribution of wealth to every individual subject of the State. So it is obligatory to address this distribution, such that the wealth reaches everyone.
No Political Party can ever Alleviate Poverty through Democracy
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan said on 25 April 2018 that he wanted to transform Pakistan, the way China did, by steering nearly 700 million people out of poverty and making it a welfare state, like Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah had wanted it to be. “I ask my followers and colleagues in the party to only be loyal to me if I adhere to the PTI’s manifesto after coming to power in 2018,” said a relatively calm and satisfied-looking Mr Khan.
The opposition to the corrupt rulers is itself devoid of any hope for the country, because it also is committed to Democracy. So, why must we be stung by Democracy again, when it has denied Pakistan’s effective use of its immense resources, which would allow us to end poverty and release us from dependence on the colonialists? Democracy allowed the private ownership of our immense energy and mineral reserves, which are valued to the order of hundreds of billions of dollars. However, Islam has deemed this vast treasure as public property, whose entire benefit is to be spent on our needs. RasulAllah ﷺ said,«الْمُسْلِمُونَ شُرَكَاءُ فِي ثَلَاثَةٍ: فِي الْمَاءِ وَالْكَلَإِ وَالنَّارِ» “The Muslims are partners in three things: waters, feeding pastures and fire (energy)” (Ahmad). Democracy also allowed widespread private ownership of capital intensive enterprises, such as heavy industry, large scale construction, transport and telecommunications, through the capitalist stock share company. However, Islam mandated its own unique company laws, that limit the scale of private ownership of capital intensive enterprises, allowing the state to dominate large scale sectors, so that it is better able to look after the people’s affairs and prevent wealth becoming concentrated in the hands of a few. Allah (swt) said, كَيْ لَا يَكُونَ دُولَةً بَيْنَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ مِنكُمْ “So that the wealth does not circulate solely among the wealthy from amongst you.” [Surah Al-Hashr 59: 7]
And after Democracy deprived us benefit of vast revenues from state and public property, it then choked our needy and destitute with burdensome taxation that Shariah has forbidden. However, RasulAllah ﷺ said, «لا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ صَاحِبُ مَكْسٍ» “The collector of illegitimate taxes will not enter Jannah” [Ahmad] to make matters even worse Democracy allowed the taking of foreign loans upon interest, making Pakistan fall into a ever deepening debt trap and subjecting it to crippling conditions, even though Pakistan has already paid back the principals. Allah (swt) said, وَأَحَلَّ اللَّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا “They say that Riba is a form of trade. But Allah has permitted trade and forbidden riba.” [Surah Al-Baqarah 2:175] So is it not upon us to work to establish the Khilafah on the Method of the Prophethood instead?
10.672 trillion Rupees Loss Confirms need to tear up Alliance with US
The estimated financial loss due to terrorism of 10.672 trillion Rupees from 2001 to 2018 was revealed in the Pakistan Economic Survey released by the government on 26th April 2018, as reported by Dawn. This is in addition to the 70,000 precious lives that were burned as fuel for the American war.
After 9-11, Musharraf used the slogan of Pakistan First to deepen alliance with the US in its nefarious war against the Muslims of Afghanistan. He claimed that Pakistan would achieve economic progress and stability as a result. However, the “War on Terror” has wrecked our economy, exports, physical infrastructure and investments. The losses we bore due to the US war is USD 6.5 Billion a year more than what has been spent on education and health combined. Moreover the American Raymond Davis network ensured insurgencies against our armed forces wherein blood was spilled in rivers, with tens of thousands killed in suicide bombings and ambushes. In addition thousands of others have been seriously injured or maimed, with many unable to earn for their children. And hundreds of thousands were made refugees as the tribal areas became a theater of war with resentment amongst the noble Pushtoon Muslims simmering until now.
These lowly rulers have betrayed us for an enemy that demands from us, takes from us, causes immense harm to us and then scornfully humiliates us. And they claim that they will bring peace and prosperity for us, when alliance with the enemy is the assured path for destruction and poverty. Allah (swt) warned, مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ كَمَثَلِ الْعَنكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ الْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ الْعَنكَبُوتِ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ “The example of those who take allies other than Allah is like that of the spider who takes a home. And indeed, the weakest of homes is the home of the spider, if they only knew.” [Surah Al-Ankabut 29:41]
Let us abandon these rulers as they have abandoned us and work for their removal with the youth of Hizb ut Tahrir. Let us work now to replace them with a Khaleefah Rashid, ruling by Islam, dignifying us in Dunyah and raising our status in Aakhira. Indeed, the guaranteed source of strength for the Muslims is the Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of the Prophethood. It alone will cut the thin thread by which the US presence hangs. It alone will close the US embassy, break the shackles of US military aid and economic loans, cut the supply lines to its troops and expel its “Raymond Davis” private military and intelligence. It alone will mobilize all our abundant resources for the service of Islam and Muslims. It alone will work to unify all the current states of Muslims into the single most resourceful state in the world.