Headlines:
- Clearly, We Must Work Outside of Democracy for Real Change
- The Capitalist Economy is Drowning Pakistan in Debt
- Delay in Manifestos Indicates Ideological Bankruptcy
Clearly, We Must Work Outside of Democracy for Real Change
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman, Imran Khan, formally launched his party’s election campaign at a public meeting in his native Mianwali city on 24 June 2018. However, even if the PTI does come to power, there is no hope of a new Pakistan or real change. Imran Khan’s assertion that he needs electables to come to power is concrete evidence of the corrupting influence of democracy and the current system. Any system and the ruling elite which presides over it by design seeks to protect the existing system. This means putting in place measures that put a huge cost on anyone who seeks to destabilize or uproot the current system. Or offering a stake and influence to potential challengers of the status quo only after they agree with the rules and conditions of the current system. However, once you agree to play by the rules of the existing system, you are part of the system and hence part of the problem.
Political systems operate on legitimacy. What this means is that eventually no political system can survive without people’s support. Thus, political systems and the ruling elite who rule over them seek to refresh people’s support for them by using one means or the other. Back in 2013 when Imran Khan inspired those who generally stay away from politics and who hated the current system in to believing in him as an agent of change. Many naively believed that he was telling the truth. What he was actually doing was offering legitimacy to a system which was dying. This legitimacy was brought to the system by these young, system hating segment of the population who abandoned their hatred and dislike for the current system and tampered their hatred for the current ruling elite and agreed to participate in the system on Imran Khan’s encouragement. The system got its legitimacy and Imran Khan got his stake and influence. Now the system is returning the favour and offering Imran the electables he needs to come to power in exchange for the legitimacy he provided to the system.
This is the lesson we must learn. Our choice about our political future is deeply consequential. Our own sincerity alone is not enough; we need awareness when making political choices. Otherwise, our sincerity in itself will be used by the existing system and the ruling elite to prolong its life.
Although many have since abandoned their support for PTI which they have seen as transforming in to the party of status quo, no different from PML-N and PPP we must not let this bad experience go in vain and miss the most valuable lesson which is glaringly obvious. No change can come through the existing system. It cannot be reformed, it cannot be resurrected and it cannot be improved. Democracy has not worked for Pakistan. In fact it has not worked for any of the Muslim countries for the simple reason that democracy is not our system. It is a colonial system introduced in our lands by Western colonialists. If anything, conditions of democracy in the West today is an eye opener for anyone who had any false illusions about it being a system of governance worthy to be adopted. The method of change is to work outside the system for a new system. We Muslims are blessed with our own system of governance, the Khilafah, which has a proven record of bringing prosperity, security and global domination to Muslims for centuries. Khilafah will be established in Pakistan by political and intellectual struggle and calling upon the armed forces of Pakistan to uproot the current system and establish Khilafah in its place.
The Capitalist Economy is Drowning Pakistan in Debt
Launching his campaign for the general elections 2018 from Mianwali on 24th June 2018, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman, Imran Khan, accused the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government of bankrupting the country during its five-year stint. “There is no money left to run the country while debt is piling up and adding insult to injury,” he said. “Pakistan’s foreign loans have surged up from Rs13,000 billion to Rs27,000bn during 2013-2018.”
There is no doubt that Pakistan’s economy is drowning under debt. However, its blame cannot be solely put on the last PML-N government. Since the inception of Pakistan, every successive regime, whether political or military, has contributed in to increasing debt. The reason is that although Pakistan was created in the name of Islam, capitalism has been implemented. Pakistan is not an exception as every capitalist country faces the same problem. Indeed, those countries that are most indebted are amongst the biggest economies. The G-7 countries are the world’s biggest and richest economies but at the same time they are amongst the most indebted as well. Japan, Italy, US, Canada, France, Britain and Germany have 234.7, 132.5, 105.4, 98.8, 96.5, 92.9, 68% Debt to GDP ratio respectively. Pakistan’s debt to GDP is almost 70%.
In the capitalist economy, debt increases as it deprives the public and state of revenues. It places energy and mineral resources, which are engines of creating huge wealth, under private ownership even though Islam has mandated these are public property. Also, the capitalist company structures, joint stock and share companies allow private owners to gather huge capital in order to run industries that are capital intensive which also generate huge wealth, such as telecommunications, heavy industries, railways, aviation and shipping. So, in capitalism, the public and state are deprived of huge revenues and then the state resorts to loans and heavy taxation.
Islam’s economic system alone will ensure escape from the debt trap. Islam declared oil, gas and mineral resources as public property which the state supervises on behalf of the people. Islam’s unique company structure laws do not allow the joint stock share company so the state dominates capital intensive projects. So, Islam will ensure huge resources for public and state spending. Allah swt said, وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَن ذِكْرِى فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنكاً “But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (Qur’an) verily, for him is a life of hardship” [Taha:124]. Thus, any politician that claims he will end the debt trap, yet insists on implementing the current capitalist system, is making a false claim. The Muslims must account such politicians and insist that they reject the current kufr system. And they must insist that they work actively for the re-establishment of the Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of Prophethood. Allah swt said, وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ أَقَامُواْ ٱلتَّوْرَاةَ وَٱلإِنْجِيلَ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيهِمْ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ لأَكَلُواْ مِن فَوْقِهِمْ وَمِن تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِهِم “And if only they had acted according to the Taurat (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel), and what has (now) been sent down to them from their Lord (the Qur’an), they would surely have gotten provision from above them and from underneath their feet.” [Al-Maidah:66]
Delays in Manifestos Indicates Ideological Bankruptcy
While the general elections are scheduled only one month away, 25th July 2018, none of the country’s main political parties has released manifesto as reported by the Dawn newspaper on 26 June 2018, exposing their inability to address the challenges facing the nation. The party manifesto is considered to be the most important part of an election campaign as it is through this document that political parties give their viewpoint on important issues.
The current ruling and opposition political parties are afflicted by ideological bankruptcy and that is why they are unable to provide a coherent alternative vision. In this vacuum, the colonialists determine all the major policies. Our economic policies are dictated by the IMF and World Bank to usurp the country’s immense wealth. Our foreign policy is dictated by the US Pentagon and State Department to secure the American military foot print in the region. Our education policy is according to the secular UNESCO to corrupt the mind of Muslim youth. Even when such political parties publish manifestos, it is as a mere formality and even the members of the parties not able to carry the contents of their manifesto. Thus, we see that the political parties in this system have disappointed the people repeatedly because of the absence of a clear vision.
In Islam, politics is looking after the affairs of the Ummah internally and externally by Islam. On 25 May, a month ago, Hizb ut Tahrir Wilayah Pakistan issued the third edition of its manifesto, for 1439/2018, entitled, “Pakistan, Khilafah and the Re-Unification of the Muslim World.” Within it, Hizb presents to the Muslims of Pakistan the structure and details of the Islamic State so that they have a vision of Pakistan under the Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of the Prophethood. It gives insight into the ruling, economic and social systems as well as the education, foreign and media policies according to Islam. It is incumbent upon the Muslims of Pakistan to study this manifesto, so that they are not stung again by the secular parties and so that they increase in their resolve to work for the ruling by all that Allah swt has revealed.