Headlines:
- Economic Burdens increased within 100 Days of Naya (New) Pakistan due to Non-Implementation of Islam
- Agriculture Can Only Thrive under the Khilafah, Not Democracy
- Is the Bajwa-Imran Shy to Mention Enemies by Name?!
Economic Burdens increased within 100 Days of Naya (New) Pakistan due to Non-Implementation of Islam
The Dawn newspaper reported on 27 November that the “Burdens on the common citizenry have increased markedly in the first 100 days of the new government as it moves to address the massive economic imbalances it inherited upon coming to power. The main drivers of the price surge already eating away at the purchasing power of common people are the depreciation of the rupee and the large hike in gas tariffs. Rupee in interbank market and open market lost its strength by eight per cent and 10.4pc.” So, the callers to New (Naya) Pakistan delivered the same as the callers to Old Pakistan. It is because they both are on the same page when it comes to implementation of capitalism, a system that deprives the masses so a select elite may increase their wealth. There is no hope in relief through the implementation of man-made law. Allah (swt) warned, وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْ ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنكًا وَنَحْشُرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَعْمَى “Whosoever turns away from My Reminder, verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him blind on the Day of Resurrection.” [Surah Ta-Ha: 124].
The implementation of Islam alone will provide relief from the economic misery as a result of man-made capitalism. RasulAllah ﷺ said, «الْمُسْلِمُونَ شُرَكَاءُ فِي ثَلَاثٍ الْمَاءِ وَالْكَلَإِ وَالنَّارِ» “The Muslims are partners in three things, waters, feeding pastures and fire.” (Ahmad). The term ‘fire’ here includes all forms of energy used as fuel in industry, as well as the plants which use gas as fuel or coal. In Islam, gas is a public property that cannot be handed over to private owners who then profiteer at public expense. The benefit of gas, whether from its use directly or from its price from sales, is for looking after the affairs of the population collectively. It will implement the Islamic ruling on currency, ensuring that it is backed by gold and silver, ending the root cause of inflation; a currency which ensured the Khilafah enjoyed stable prices for over a thousand years. It is high time that the Muslims worked for the system that pleases Allah (swt) and averts His Wrath, the ruling by all that Allah (swt) has revealed, the Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of Prophethood.
Agriculture Can Only Thrive under the Khilafah, Not Democracy
Farmers have criticized PTI for broken promises, as reported by Dawn on 26 November 2018. As per the report, with 2.86 million hectares of cultivable land, 1.16m hectares remain unutilized in KPK province alone due to small land holdings and sowing of low-value crops. This is because of the farmers’ limited access to inputs, as well as their poor financial and technical resources, inefficient irrigation, 0.93m hectares are rain-fed, and a marked decline in land use. Also, the weak seed industry, poor research and development, supply-driven instead of demand-oriented production and a lack of appropriate storage facilities are major issues that the sector faces. Mr. Fazle Maula, Convener of Kissan Rabita Committee, says the KPK government did not come up with any programme for either agriculture or livestock sector. The exception was the billion-tree project and in fact, the billion-tree project hurt the livestock sector. As part of th project, the government banned the grazing of cattle in the mountains of Swat, Dir, Buner and Hazara. However, livestock farmers have no other place to take their animals. Riaz Ahmed Khan, Swat-based farmer says the government has done nothing for the farming sector so far. It is incapable of checking the exorbitant increase in farm inputs, particularly fertilizers and pesticides whose prices have gone up due to the rupee depreciation.
This shows that man-made laws under democracy have denied Pakistan of its true potential. In the last ten years, the average annual growth rate of agricultural output is estimated at about 4-5%. However, Pakistan’s existing land is underutilized, as the total area of farm land of Pakistan is about 30 million hectors, out of which 22 million hectors are being cultivated, whilst the rest amounts to the cultivable waste. Out of the cultivated land about 6 million hectors of ploughed area remains un-cropped annually and only 7 million hectors area is sown more than once a year. The land holding favours the wealthy, depriving poor farmers of land ownership. The poor farmers have to rent land and so the actual producers are deprived of the full benefit of their own production. There is also a policy of keeping the land uncultivated, thus producing less than demand, to ensure huge profits and increasing market price. All this has been secured through favourable law making in democratic assemblies.
It is known that the Muslim Lands of this region, under the laws revealed by Allah (swt), were the agricultural marvel of the world. The Indian Subcontinent under Islam was an agricultural powerhouse, producing 25% of the world’s GDP, with a formidable export profile, inciting the greed of the British colonialists over the vast wealth in agriculture, particularly spices and condiments. However, when these revealed laws were replaced by man-made laws during the British occupation, there was a wide-scale famine within the same lands, leading to the deaths of hundreds and thousands through starvation. Until now man-made laws are implemented in the field of agriculture, denying Pakistan its true potential as an agricultural powerhouse.
Only the return of the Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of the Prophethood will boost agricultural production and rural employment, thus increasing Pakistan’s food security and prosperity by restoring the Islamic agricultural laws. Uniquely, Islam strongly links the issue of ownership of the land with its cultivation. So regardless of whether the land-owner has large tracts of lands, or small tracts of it, he must supervise its cultivation personally. The state will assist the owners in cultivation, whether through grants or through interest-free loans. If the owner of land is unwilling or unable to cultivate his agricultural land despite assistance being offered, he is not allowed to rent the land for another to cultivate it. RasulAllah ﷺ said, «ازْرَعْهَا أَوْ امْنَحْهَا أَخَاكَ» “Cultivate it or give it to your brother”. Also, Islam encourages the revival of uncultivated agricultural land by granting ownership to the one who revives dead land. RasulAllah ﷺ said, «مَنْ أَحْيَا أَرْضًا مَيِّتَةً فَهِيَ لَهُ» “whoever revives a dead land, it belongs to him.” [Tirmidhi]. Thus ruling by Islam ensures the efficient use of agricultural land occurs by linking land ownership to its mandatory cultivation.
Is the Bajwa-Imran Shy to Mention Enemies by Name?!
On 26 November 2018, the Federal Minister for Information, Fawad Chaudhry, has stated that, “external forces” are involved in the botched terrorist attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi and the government knows “very well” about the perpetrators. The minister without elaborating said the increasing economic and strategic cooperation between Pakistan and China had upset “enemies” and they were carrying out such “foolish acts” out of frustration. He said the attack was part of a “big conspiracy” to sabotage Pakistan’s friendly relations with China, but the enemies would never succeed in their nefarious designs. He said the world fully knew as to who was standing for peace and stability in the region and who was trying to sabotage it.
It is now a habit that whenever an incident like this happens in Pakistan, the regime does not dare name the enemy. The regime may not name the enemy, but the Muslims of Pakistan knows definitely that it is the US-India nexus. The regime does not name the enemy, as it will put pressure on them to sever ties with Washington, which they want to continue to serve. They will not name India either as then they will be asked as to why they still want to normalize relations with the Hindu State. In this current attack on the Chinese embassy in Karachi, the organization that claimed responsibility is known for its links with India. India has been able to provide support to such organizations because America allowed the Hindu State to use Afghan soil against Pakistan. If the regime dares to name the US-India nexus than it would have to cut ties with them, or be called traitors.
The regime blames India for the violation of the ceasefire over the Line of Control (LoC). Every few days, Muslims living on the Pakistan side of the LoC are martyred because of Indian firing. On top of that, a number of Muslims are being blinded by pellet gun bullets or martyred by Indian occupying forces in Occupied Kashmir. Yet, despite this Indian aggression, the Bajwa-Imran regime is going to open a corridor to facilitate Indian Sikhs to travel to their holy place, Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, inside Pakistan, without a visa. The regime is so deceptive that she is using Sikhs as a cover to normalize relations with India on US orders. This is so the Muslims of Pakistan think that the regime is actually gaining support of a large minority community inside India by this action.
There is no honour in embracing an enemy. There is no honour in ignoring the aggression of an enemy and there will be no peace by facilitating the interests of the enemy. Islam orders us to answer the enemy in the same manner they use against us. Allah (swt) said, فَمَنِ اعۡتَدٰى عَلَيۡكُمۡ فَاعۡتَدُوۡا عَلَيۡهِ بِمِثۡلِ مَا اعۡتَدٰى عَلَيۡكُمۡ “Then whoever transgresses the prohibition against you, you transgress likewise against him.” [Surah al-Baqarah 2:194]. And Allah swt forbade making friendship with enemies, اِنَّمَا يَنۡهٰٮكُمُ اللّٰهُ عَنِ الَّذِيۡنَ قَاتَلُوۡكُمۡ فِىۡ الدِّيۡنِ وَاَخۡرَجُوۡكُمۡ مِّنۡ دِيَارِكُمۡ وَظَاهَرُوۡا عَلٰٓى اِخۡرَاجِكُمۡ اَنۡ تَوَلَّوۡهُمۡۚ وَمَنۡ يَّتَوَلَّهُمۡ فَاُولٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ الظّٰلِمُوۡنَ “It is only as regards those who fought against you on account of religion, and have driven you out of your homes, and helped to drive you out, that Allah forbids you to befriend them. And whosoever will befriend them, then such are the Zalimun (wrong-doers those who disobey Allah).” [Surah al-Mumtahina 60:9]