The government is supposed to safeguard the rights of people not to loot them. The public representatives who have been elected by people through a democratic system are having big responsibilities on their shoulders to protect the rights of people and pave the way to resolve the matters which the masses of their respective constituency are having in general. They are liable to run the helm of state affairs appropriately and systematically. They should set maneuvers to change the fate of the public and the country from stormy surge to at ease.
The government must be people loving and the public representatives to be known as the epitome of real safeguarded of their voter’s rights. Because of their sincere efforts, true dedication towards public service and competency people respect them from the core of their hearts, not they like to be as people pass bad remarks over them. As once Garry Wills said, “It’s not healthy for a society if the people hate their own government.”
Unfortunately, this trend is not prevailing in our country, where, the public representatives are mostly known by the general public as looters or corrupts. The political setup in Pakistan from its very inception till now is hijacked by the Feudal Lords, Sardars, Chaudhry’s, elites and so-called Nationalist. Whatever they want they do, whether it would be ruining the public interest or being a reason to sabotage the national interest. If the foundation of the political system is very nasty then how could one expect a strong structure of political affairs here?
Infringement of public rights by the so-called public representatives is not a new thing here. We had been experiencing nepotism, favoritism, corruption, injustice, violation of law in our routine lives in different places and different shapes. The biggest contributors of all wrongdoings that deprived us to live a prosperous, joyful, peaceful, and happy civil life are our own elected or selected representatives.
On June 20, last year Traffic Sergeant Haji Attaullah was run over and killed in Quetta’s GPO Chowk by an MPA of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) then the MPA agreed to compensate the family members of the slain traffic policeman shows a clear picture that these MPAs or Sardars are superior species and above the law. They have right to kill the fellow citizens and then through monetary compensations their all sins washed away.
The hapless family of Traffic Sergeant Haji Attaullah suffered a lot and threatened by the backer of Majeed Achakzai to accept the blood money and close the chapter forever. A big slap on our justice system is that killers and wrongdoers always enjoy VIP treatment in Prison but the family of deceased, receive life threats but not provided legitimate security or protection by the state. But on Thursday 28 December 2017 the killer released on bail amid cheers on submission of a Rs.0.5 million surety bond. The salt on the deceased family wound is that the party workers and close associates present outside the jail showered the MPA with rose petals and chanted slogans in his favor. What a shameful situation for those who chant the slogan of justice and human rights.
On another side, the son of the slain traffic policeman, Moazzam, has objected over the bail granted to Achakzai, requested the government to pursue the case against him. He said they were too poor to do so, adding that had they been able to fight the case against the MPA he would not have been released from prison.
If this is the level of justice and the persons like Majeed Achakzai are our public representatives so how could we believe in political, justice and governmental system of this country. This is the time that the system needs an acid cleanse up and it weighs a big responsibility for the shoulder of competent and able fellow citizens to come forward and free the system from these hijackers. People should recognize their rights infringers and throw them out through the power of their votes. Young, educated, competent, energetic, honest and real people encouraged to become forward.
To conclude with British politician Edmund Burke’s 1774 speech relevant sentence on public representative where he said, elected officials should be delegates who exactly mirror the opinions of the electorate. But the real representatives he highlighted there not alike we are having in our country.
The writer is an M.Phil (scholar) in Political Science from the University of Karachi. He is a team member of Balochistan Voices and also writes for other leading newspapers. Email: [email protected]
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article are those of the author and Balochistan Voices not necessarily agrees with them.
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