Headlines:
- Man-Made Democracy is the Root Cause of Corruption
- Sharing in Russian Air Forces’ Grief but not in that of its Syrian Victims is Despicable
- Taking Our Matters to the US is Like Cutting Our Jugular Vein by Our Own Hands
Man-Made Democracy is the Root Cause of Corruption
Media reported that a top government functionary facing serious allegations of corruption was on, 21 December 2016 ‘cleared’ by NAB (National Accountability Bureau), paving the way for his release from custody. Mushtaq Ahmed Raisani, the then Finance Secretary of Balochistan, hit the headlines in May 2016 when NAB seized over Rs730 million hard cash from his house in Quetta, hours after he was taken into custody. He was also found to be owning as many as a dozen houses in Karachi, whose estimated worth was said to be around Rs2 billion. With the suspect caught keeping millions in illegal money and owning property obtained well beyond his known sources of income, it appeared to be an open-and-shut case, ending with his conviction — until NAB’s shocking decision. The Executive Board Meeting (EBM) of NAB, which itself had put Mr. Raisani’s corruption figure at Rs40bn, accepted his plea bargain request for Rs2bn. NAB chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry presided over the meeting. Spokesman of NAB said it was the biggest-ever plea bargain deal struck by NAB. In reply to a question, the spokesman said Mr Raisani would be “fully cleared” after the deal is approved by the accountability court. However, he would not be able to seek any government job or a bank loan for next 10 years.
Since this news broke out in the media, people from across the board are condemning this decision. It has become so obvious that the ruling elite, whether political or military, facilitates financial corruption and tries to cover it up with man-made laws. The Interior Minister of Pakistan, Chaudry Nisar Ali Khan, and the Chief Minister of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif, criticized NAB and put the blame of this open murder of justice on former dictator Musharraf. However, this is a lame excuse because nine years have passed since Musharraf’s departure from presidency and if such a law still exists then it is because of the consent of successive “democratic” governments. In fact this law encourages a thief to steal as much as possible so he can afford his “ransom” in a plea bargain deal, in case if he is arrested, because if he is arrested as a small thief, then even after the recovery of the stolen money he still has to spend some part of his life in prison.
The matter of financial corruption will never be solved by changing laws and making new institutions on the ruins of NAB, as the root cause is man-made systems, whether democracy or dictatorship. Pakistan is not unique to financial corruption as this phenomenon is common even in highly developed and leading Democracies, whether in the East or the West. Democracy has made acquiring wealth the purpose of life. Men are encouraged to grab wealth by any means necessary, no matter if the means are right or wrong. And thanks to Democracy, any wrong can be made right by passing a bill in a parliament. Financial corruption can only be eradicated by implementing Islam as Islam does not distinguish between a big criminal and small criminal. Moreover, no one can change or abandon punishment ascribed by Islam for financial embezzlement. RasulAllah ﷺ said that,«أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّمَا أَهْلَكَ الَّذِينَ قَبْلَكُمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمُ الشَّرِيفُ تَرَكُوهُ وَإِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمُ الضَّعِيفُ أَقَامُوا عَلَيْهِ الْحَدَّ وَايْمُ اللَّهِ لَوْ أَنَّ فَاطِمَةَ بِنْتَ مُحَمَّدٍ سَرَقَتْ لَقَطَعْتُ يَدَهَا» “O people, those who have gone before you were destroyed, because if any one of high rank committed theft amongst them, they spared him; and it anyone of low rank committed theft, they inflicted the prescribed punishment upon him. By Allah, if Fatima, daughter of Muhammad, were to steal, I would have her hand cut off.”
Sharing in Russian Air Forces’ Grief but not in that of its Syrian Victims is Despicable
As reported in The Nation dated 26 December 2016, Pakistan condoled with the Russian Federation for the loss of 92 lives in the crash of a military aircraft. “The leadership and the people of Pakistan are deeply grieved and saddened to learn about the tragic crash of Tu-154 aircraft in the Russian Federation today, which resulted in the loss of more than 90 valuable lives, including members of the renowned Alexandrov Ensemble… The people of Pakistan share their grief and stand by them as they mourn their irreparable loss,” a Foreign Office statement said.
How about shedding a single tear for the thousands of Syrian victims of the Russian air force? This plane was carrying Russian military personnel towards Syria as part of its ongoing blitzkrieg combat mission over there, from its base in Latakia. At the behest of US, Russian troops have been actively engaged in the massacre of Muslims of Syria in a bid to secure the tyrant Bashar al-Assad and crush the demands for the return of the Khilafah to ash-Shaam. In coordination with Iran, through Iran’s Hezb and Assad’s forces, the Russian air force has killed thousands of innocent Muslims, not sparing the women, children and elderly, with intensive bombing and shelling. The Russian-Assad coalition have used barrel bombs, chemical weapons and white phosphorous bombs, banned under international law, to maximize the suffering. They have targeted hospitals, schools, markets so that the masses can be punished for their uprising against Assad.
Yet, instead of mobilizing our armed air forces to shield the Muslims of Syria from this onslaught, the regime sheds tears for Russian air force losses. Even whilst the Muslim Ummah expressed its grief over the massacre of the Muslims of Aleppo by Russia and Assad, Pakistan’s ruler maintain their alliance with Moscow, which included joint military exercises with these brutal enemies of Muslims. Allah (ta’ala) has ordered that enemies are taken as an enemy, ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لاَ تَتَّخِذُوا عَدُوِّي وَعَدُوَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ تُلْقُونَ إِلَيْهِمْ بِالْمَوَدَّةِ وَقَدْ كَفَرُوا بِمَا جَاءَكُمْ مِنْ الْحَقِّ﴾ “O you who believe! Choose not My enemies who are your enemies as friends showing them affection even when they disbelieve in that truth that has come to you” [Surah Mumtahina 60:1] It is only the Khilafah (Caliphate) upon the Method of the Prophethood, which will not by true to the Ummah’s sentiments, it will shield them as it is obliged to do so. The Khaleefah will mobilize the Muslim armed forces against these crusaders, instead of them being used today to serve the colonial powers. Hizb ut Tahrir has adopted in its Introduction to the Constitution, in Article 189, “States with whom we do not have treaties, and the actual imperialist states, such as Britain, America and France, and those states that have designs on the State, such as Russia, are legally considered to be belligerent states. All precautions must be taken towards them and it would be wrong to establish diplomatic relations with them.” And in the same Article’s Clause 4 it has stated, “States that are actually belligerent states, such as Israel for example, a state of war must be taken as the basis for all dealings with them. They must be dealt with as if a real war existed between us – irrespective of whether an armistice exists between us or not – and all their subjects are prevented from entering the State.”
Taking Our Matters to the US is Like Cutting Our Jugular Vein by Our Own Hands
On 3rd January 2017 the Dawn reported that the US administration has initiated the process for intervening in the current water dispute between India and Pakistan, without waiting for an invitation to do so, official sources told Dawn. Diplomatic observers in Washington say that since the United States has facilitated the Indus Waters Treaty, it feels obliged to take a proactive role in this matter. The latest dispute concerns two hydroelectric power plants — Kishanganga and Ratle — that India is building on the Indus Rivers system. Pakistan believes that the projects violate the design parameters of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which provides specific criteria for such plants.
The IWT is a water-distribution agreement between Pakistan and India, brokered by the World Bank and signed in Karachi on Sept 19, 1960. Pakistan took its case to the World Bank in September 2016, urging the bank to prevent India from making illegal constructions on the Neelum and Chenab rivers. On August 19, Pakistan formally requested the government of India to refer the dispute to the court of arbitration, as provided in Article IX of the treaty. The Indian media reported in September that New Delhi had decided to suspend water talks until “Pakistan-sponsored terror” in India ends. Last month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also threatened to choke the flow of water into Pakistan if it does not stop terrorists.
It is condemnable that we take our matters to the colonialist Kafir nations like America and their colonialist tools such as the World Bank. In the past, whenever Pakistan relied on America, she betrayed us severely. In the 1965 War with India, America suspended the supply of arms to Pakistan. In the 1971 War with India, America did not send its naval fleet to thwart India’s effort to split Pakistan in two, despite obligations in a defense treaty with Pakistan. In recent history, America has bolstered Indian nuclear aspirations and made India the member of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), whilst banning seven Pakistani companies suspected of exporting material used in missile technology. America opened the doors of India to Afghanistan, even though it is Pakistan that has suffered most through the American invasion. And from its foothold in Afghanistan, India is launching terrorist activities to destabilize Pakistan. However, despite of all manner of open betrayals, the regime in Islamabad places its trust on America to safeguard Pakistan’s interests.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى has clearly forbidden Muslims to take their matters to Kuffar and warned about its consequences. Allah swt said, ﴿يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لاَ تَتَّخِذُواْ بِطَانَةً مِّنْ دُونِكُمْ لاَ يَأْلُونَكُمْ خَبَالاً وَدُّواْ مَا عَنِتُّمْ قَدْ بَدَتِ ٱلْبَغْضَآءُ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَمَا تُخْفِى صُدُورُهُمْ أَكْبَرُ﴾ “O you who believe! Take not as (your) Bitanah (advisors, consultants, protectors, helpers, friends, etc.) those outside your religion since they will not fail to do their best to corrupt you. They desire to harm you severely. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their breasts conceal is far worse” [Surah Aali-Imran 3:118]. So the soon to return Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of the Prophethood will not seek help from the Kafir colonialists and their institutions, rather it will employ political and economic measures, and if it necessitates, military options as well. Allah سبحانه وتعالى said, ﴿فَمَنِ ٱعْتَدَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ فَٱعْتَدُواْ عَلَيْهِ بِمِثْلِ مَا ٱعْتَدَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ﴾ “Then whoever transgresses the prohibition against you, you transgress likewise against him.” [Surah Al-Baqarah 2:194]