Democracy at crossroads in Pakistan "Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people .

Abraham Lincoln (16th President of US) PAKISTAN got independence in 1947. Quaid-e-Azam, the founder as well as the first governor general of the state, was committed to parliamentary form of democracy. Unfortunately, he could not withstand his illness for long and died a year after independence. Liaquat Ali Khan, a dedicated prime-minister elected from Eastern Pakistan was unacceptable to the ruling elite of West Pakistan and was subsequently eliminated from the political scene in 1951. Since these devoted leaders could not survive long, the country plunged into the quagmire of political instability due to lack of sincere leadership. After the death of Liaquat Ali Khan, clashes for power began. Politics turned into a wrestling arena. Nazimuddin, the then governor general, stepped down to grab the seat of Prime Minister, which promised greater authority and power. As ill-luck would have it, he was soon kicked off by Governor General Ghulam Mohammad in 1953 undemocratically with the support of some military personnel and the Chief Justice. It was actually the first military coup assiduously preserved in the facade of parliamentary form. Prime Ministers made a queue then. They came and left frequently. Ministries were dissolved over nights through unconstitutional means. Howsoever, the politicians of West Pakistan managed to cobble a constitution in 1956 based on parity principle between East and West Pakistan. By this time One Unit was formulated by integrating the four provinces of West Pakistan to avert the dominance of East Pakistan. After-all how could the elites of West Pakistan quench their thirst of power if they were to be dominated by the rightful majority? But, the threat of permanent East Pakistan majority prevailed notwithstanding the efforts taken by politicians to forestall the situation. Promulgation of the newly framed constitution called for elections. It was apprehended that any government that would emerge in result of these elections would be dominated by Bengal. There was only one remedy to this situation: postpone the elections indefinitely. Since the procrastination couldn t be dragged long, military had to be called in to save the country (from elections). Ayub Khan, the first military dictator, took over the country as Chief Martial Law Administrator in 1958 with the support of some villainous politicians and the Chief Justice unethically legitimized it under the stamp of necessity . He first suspended the constitution to assume unquestionable powers. Now either the politicians had to play the game according to his rules or they were out of it. The politicians are generally more concerned about their own well-being rather than national interests. They succumb and the coup succeeds. Since a dictator doesn t have his roots in the public, he has to derive support either by manipulating political parties or kneeling down before foreign powers. Ayub Khan introduced Basic Democracies to perpetuate his rule as it s always easier to manipulate results of indirect elections when the number of voters is small. After rigging the elections, the parliament that is elected, is in a better position to serve the interests of their illegitimate father. Ayub Khan was uncomfortable with the parliamentary-type constitution of 1956, thus, he gave birth to a new constitution in 1962 which turned him invincible . This constitution turned the Government into a hyper-presidential one. Presidential governments are easier to be transformed into dictatorships compared to parliamentary ones. He ruled as a king, however, a few wrong moves in the end left him with no choice but to step down facing sheer humiliation. He handed over the reign to his halfbrother Yahya Khan, another military chief, who was supposed to bring democracy at home. Yahya Khan held elections in 1970, which were reasonably free and fair. This raised the fears of election of a Bengali Prime Minister in the parliament and ultimately, a Bengali dominance. Thus, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, leader of the majority party in West Pakistan, craving for authority, preferred to disintegrate the country rather than sharing power. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto emerged as the almighty Prime Minister of West Pakistan. He started ruling the country in his own idiosyncratic way. The first and foremost task ahead him, was to design a workable constitution on Westminster model that could shift the powers from President to Prime Minister. He succeeded. The Westminster model can transform into a dictatorship in absence of checks and balances. This system has been working effectively in England since the Monarch has a check over the Prime Minister, but in Pakistan there is no monarchy at all. Bhutto introduced a few amendments to adjust himself properly in the seat. Nonetheless, he soon fell prey to a deadly virus of megalomania. He held referendum in 1977 to demonstrate a vote of confidence in him. He could have easily won it however he preferred not to take any chance. His darling bureaucracy over-rigged the elections to please him. This paved way for another military coup under General Zia-ul-Haq. He overthrew Bhutto and executed him subsequently. Zia-ul-Haq, as his strategic forefathers was fond of unqualified dictatorial rule. He first suspended the constitution as all the military rulers do. Then he introduced the 8th Amendment which gave him the steering wheel by turning the government to hyper-presidential type. He held elections once in 1985, but barred political parties from taking part in it. He used Article 58-2(b) to dislodge Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo undemocratically. He gave rise to the menace of religious extremism in Pakistan and the nation is still paying

the price of it. He destroyed the total political fabric of the state. Pakistan had to bear him for 11 years until he died in 1988 in an allegedly pre-planned plane crash. It was after his death that the country saw 11 consecutive years of weak civilian rule under Benazir Bhutto (PPP) and Nawaz Sharif (PML-N). Their rule proved to be more authoritative rather than democratic. Benazir twice and Nawaz once were taken off their hot-seats by the application of Article 58-2(b). Ridiculed Nawaz amended the constitution to invalidate that article in his second term. Since their rules were full of corruption and highhandedness they couldn t strengthen the political infrastructure and another military coup under Pervaiz Musharraf ousted Nawaz Sharif in 1999. With the appearance of General Pervaiz Musharraf at the scene the country plunged into severe economic and political crises. Musharraf legitimized his coup under the graffiti necessity as traditional. He was unconstitutionally authorized to rule by the parliament and the judiciary. He introduced a Legal Framework Order (LFO) and presented the 17th Amendment under which he formulated National Security Council (NSC) headed by military and revived the 8th Amendment under which he could dismiss the Prime Minister and dissolve the Assembly at his discretion. The former placed the civilians under the thumb of military and the later gave him authoritative powers to bring unruly politicians under control. He set the same rules of the game as his predecessors, and could kick out anyone who foul-played. This way he derived his support from the politicians. However, both his Seventeenth Amendment and LFO were unconstitutional. According to the charter, only parliament after negotiations and certain legal procedures can amend the constitution however his amendment was thrust down the throats of people forcefully in an undemocratic way. He formed the Mullah-Military Alliance (MMA) to support him. Musharraf, like his predecessors disqualified political parties from taking part in elections. He is holding the posts of COAS as well as President. When asked to shed off the uniform, he promised to drop it before Dec. 2004. Nonetheless, he reneged since it s the military acting as a stick through which he settles down his scores. After-all, being a military ruler, one does not have to be accountable to anyone for one s action. Musharraf revived the 8th Amendment by his ugly ancestor which was suspended after the 13th Amendment by Nawaz Sharif. The sole purpose behind this was to snap his fingers and make the Prime Minister and his crew dance to its tune. He also formed the National Security Council (NSC) to torment politicians that disagreed with him by charging, convicting, and torturing them. In democracy, opposition and pressure groups i.e. print and electronic media have a right to criticize and oppose government policies. Such voices affect government policies to a larger extent. Democracy comes with consideration of public opinion since it s a government for the people. But, Musharraf simply rides the horse in his own distinct style. Whatever he does and says is above the law and there are no chances of reservations about it. All he does is constitutional and legal. Nobody has any right to question about his moves. Musharraf, with his magic wand, introduced Devolution Plan in 2001. It is a Local Government system that has allegedly brought democracy to the grassroot levels. It has been a general observation that this plan has made it easier for the ruling elite to settle down small fiefdoms in districts. The supporters of the ruling elite are gifted districts for their unqualified loyalty. To rig the elections have become a game of the left hand for him now. Musharraf has failed to understand that rather than bringing democracy in the centre he is trying to experiment with the districts. In reality, Devolution takes place from the Centre to provinces however this plan has simply reduced the role of provinces. If Musharraf is sincere enough, he should better uphold the sanctity of parliament and the constitution. He should not follow the same lines as his predecessor Zia-ul-Haq, who said: Constitution is just a bunch of papers, which I can tear apart whenever I please . By comparing the political scenarios of different countries with that of Pakistan, we can evaluate the extent of disorder. India, our close neighbour, who got independence simultaneously with us, is world s biggest democracy today. It may be because India was ruled by a sincere leader Jawaharlal Nehru for the first 17 years. India s first stable constitution was written within 3-4 years after freedom while ours took 26 years. The efforts of the devoted Indian leaders have laid strong foundations of democracy in Indian Political System. However, in Pakistan, sincere endeavors have been inadequate. Weak and immoral civilian rules introduced military into politics and military perforated the political fabric. These intermittent military coups can be prevented by introducing an amendment in the constitution, declaring military coups illicit and acts of high treason. Or we can simply abolish the posts of chiefs of armed forces and hand over their responsibilities to the head of the state just like in America. When there is no chief, there is no coup. The other reason for weak democracy is weak political parties. We have weak political parties because they re numerous and small. Big and few political parties are much stronger and help in consolidating democracy. Let s take the examples of America and Britain. In both these countries there are only two strong political parties, Republicans and Democrats in the former, Liberals and Conservatives in the later. In both these countries, one of the either parties rules and the other forms the opposition. Also, India has only 2-3 strong parties like Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress (INC) and Socialists. We could also form 2 or 3 political parties, but strong ones. If that s not possible, the parliamentary system can be replaced with

a Presidential one which could be dealt with by the people directly. Pakistan is a federal state but in reality it is extremely unitary (strong centre). Provincial autonomy should be enhanced and central authority should be curtailed. This will render politics a fruit lack of taste for impious people. Presently, Punjab is dominating the political arena due to its large population. The Central Government could propose some formula to create equality among the provinces so that no province feels a sense of deprivation. Either Punjab can be fragmented or authority could swiftly be shifted from National Assembly to Senate (which has equal representation from all provinces) because democracy comes with equality. Rulers in the history of Pakistan have created a big mess. They have amended the constitution to serve their own interests. All such amendments should be deleted / reversed. Democracy comes with choice of people. The very system fails when the mode of selection i.e. elections, is rigged. Fair and free elections are the top most requirements for a healthy growth of democracy. The Election Commission of Pakistan should be liberated from all kinds of political influences. Rule of law should prevail. Constitution should be the supreme law. The sanctity of Constitution should be preserved. Justice should be imparted. It has been observed that the judiciary has never gone against the government in history. All this needs separation of Judiciary from the Executive to foil any unethical pressure to serve vested interests. The Supreme Court judges can be allowed tenure of lifetime (until they voluntarily resign) with attractive emoluments. This will evaporate the fears of dismissal from the Executive in case any pressure on them is resisted. Equal fair play should be allowed to all. Freedom of speech and actions should be granted. The members in the Assembly should be allowed to play their part. Every policy and law by the government should be based on the consensus of majority. Merit-oriented examinations should be introduced for the bureaucracy. The civil servants have played a vital role in rigging elections in the past. Those who resist lie in eternal peace with a label of Officer on Special Duty (OSD), away from the perks and privileges of the esteemed institution. Political pressure on them should be taken as a legal offence and prosecuted in courts. Democracy is the only political system that can be acceptable to the people that are ruled. Benefits of democracy can be seen all around us. All the developed and rapidly developing countries today are predominantly democracies. India can be quoted as a very close and relevant example.

Democracy in Pakistan has been a topic of debate for several years and yet there is little consensus on whether democracy or dictatorship is in the best interest of Pakistan. The question is how is democracy defined and whether Pakistan was ever a democratic State? This needs to be determined before arguing on which type of political system would be better for the country. First and foremost the pre-requisite of democracy is free and fair elections but little evidence is found to support the argument that the electoral process in Pakistan is fair. Votes could be bought by political parties for as cheap as Rs 10. Another practice which is common in the elections is of rigging and it does not allow the votes to be casted in a proper manner. In Pakistan a major crux of the population and the political parties and leaders support a democratic system of government. Any attempts to harm democracy in the country are treated with strong resentment from both the ruling party and the opposition. Despite all these facts it is believed that in Pakistan a democracy could never survive for long due to the incompetent people in the helm of affairs in the so called democratic system. When these democrats fail to run the affairs of the country, the military decides to take over and this has pretty much been the case since 1947. Various examples of military rulers in the country include Ayub Khan, Zia-ul-Haq and Pervez Musharaff. There are various problems associated with Pakistan's democracy which does not allow it to be a successful form of government like it has been in the neighboring country India. A major reason for the failure of democracy is the amount of institutional imbalance in the country. Since independence the military and intelligence agencies were organized and developed while the democratic and political institutions were weak and vulnerable. This imbalance has always fortified bureaucracy and dictatorial governance. Secondly there has always been problem with Pakistani politicians in reaching a consensus on various policy issues. When policy matters are continuously debated in the parliament, it does not allow a democratic government to settle down and acts as a barrier for it to flourish.

Moreover, the type of leaders and political parties also determines how successful a democracy would be. For years the same political parties have stayed in power with the same bunch of supporters. They follow their old policies and do not realize the fact that there policies should evolve and change with time. For example the Pakistan Peoples Party founded by Mr Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto came into power a number of times and despite its failures it was elected again. The reason for this is that the supporters continue supporting the party because of their affection for the founder of the party and they do not care about the fact whether the current leader is competent or not. There is no doubt that democracy is a generally acceptable way of going about the affairs of a country, however it is essential that the democracy fulfills the requirements of a true democracy which ensures complete freedom for people and fair elections. When competent people will be ruling the country then everyone including the military would be satisfied by the democratic rule.

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Why I love Pakistan

These are times when majority of the people are thinking about leaving Pakistan and many of them have actually migrated and have settled in other countries. But Pakistan is not as bad a country it is portrayed to be. I still love Pakistan and there are hundreds of reasons why I love it. Pakistan is a result of the sacrifices of millions of Muslims and the efforts of Muhammad Ali Jinnah to get a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent. How can I forget the sacrifices my ancestors gave to provide me with an independent homeland? How I am not supposed to love a country which my ancestors died fighting for! I love Pakistan because of the plain reason that it has allowed me to practice my religion freely. Majority of the people around me are of the same culture and religion as I am which gives me a sense of belonging and affection for them and the country. People complain we are victims of terrorism; no doubt these are challenging times but which country is not a victim of terrorism? Have you forgotten the attacks on U.S World Trade Centre? Every country is facing crisis, this does not mean we leave our country when it needs our support the most. I love those people in my country who are peace loving and majority of them do want peace. I love my country because it gives me a standard of living which no other country would. I could freely roam around the streets all night no one would stop me. I could park my car wherever I want no one would stop me. I don't have to pay half of my earnings to ride on a car just like people in the West do. People in countries like U.S and U.K have to pay road tax and also a large amount of parking fee if they want to park their cars. I love Pakistan because I am given the freedom to live life the way I want. It allows me to live as a free citizen, does not impose unnecessary taxes on me and allows me to do whatever I want to do with my property. I love my country for the beautiful sites it has. The northern areas of Pakistan including Swat, Naran, Kaghan, Murree are such beautiful valleys that one would not want to miss an opportunity to visit these places. Being a Pakistani I have the privilege to enjoy my vacations on beautiful hills and that too at a low cost. One thing that makes me love Pakistan even more is our most beloved sport cricket. I love Pakistan and I love the Pakistan Cricket Team because it brings our entire nation under one flag and gives a sense of patriotism which no other sport or thing could ever give us. Although I love Pakistan, I can't ignore the problems it is going through. But instead of leaving my country because of the problems it is facing, I want to live here and contribute in any way I could to take my country out of trouble because I truly love Pakistan!

Essay on Load shedding in Pakistan (Rolling Blackout)

While countries in the west move towards enlightenment, Pakistan is moving towards darkness. The country suffering at the hands of corrupt politicians and terrorism has much graver problems and one of them is load shedding. It is the 21st century and there is no electricity in Pakistan! People are crying their hearts out in front of the government to provide them with the basic necessity of electricity but the government seems to have no clue about how to solve this problem. Energy shortage is the result of the power demand and supply gap. So what causes this gap to exist is the main question. There are various reasons because of which Pakistan could not create more electricity which include the rising fuel prices, rising burden of circular debts, lack of availability of inexpensive fuel, no new power projects being started, poor electricity production and distribution methods, power theft and nonpayment of electricity bills. The issue of circular debts is not something new when it comes to energy crisis. When the circular debts reach their peak the government intercepts by increasing the subsidy given to the power companies. However this does not provide a permanent solution to the problem because the subsidies given are not sufficient to pull the power supply companies out of difficulty. At present only Rs3/kilowatt subsidy is given where as 20-30% of electricity is being stolen and the electricity bills of government offices remain due for months. This burden is then passed on to the end consumers in terms of higher prices or excessive amounts of load shedding. The problem of energy theft is something which needs to be addressed at the governmental level. It signifies the inefficient law and order situation of the country as the government knowing who the thieves are still does nothing to catch them. If the government takes strict action against those who steal electricity then half the problem of power shortages would be solved. There are various suggestions from across the broad to make power theft a non bailable offence; however nothing has been done in regard to such suggestions. Rising fuel costs in the production of electricity are also a major source of concern. Natural gas and imported oil are the two major components of power production. While imported oil was always expensive for power producers, the shortage of natural gas has added further to their miseries. Natural gas always seemed to be in abundance in the country however in recent times the country has surprisingly faced natural gas shortages too. So the only way out for Pakistan is to find other sources of energy generation. Coal in the country is in abundance but the lack of expertise in the country does not allow it to be used in the right direction. As Pakistan faces several problems, the problem of load shedding too should be given top priority by the government officials. It's time the politicians start acting in order to solve the general problems of the people of Pakistan rather than fighting for getting into power and doing nothing

General Problems of Pakistan

Pakistan has reached the point where many of the countries of the West have started labeling it as a "Failed State". The reason behind this uproar is the severity of the problems the country faces. The global crisis has not hit any country as badly as it has hit Pakistan. There are various problems the country faces including terrorism, power shortages, gas shortages, shooting inflation rates, unavailability of basic needs for people such as food, housing, clothes, rising

rates of unemployment, worsening of the balance of payment position and the list goes on and on. It is time that someone comes up with solutions to these problems or the nation for which our ancestors fought would be lost somewhere in the midst. Terrorism has been of growing concern over the past few years. After the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre, Pakistan agreed to join U.S in the war on terror. But who knew that this action would lead to Pakistan becoming a victim of terrorist attacks. This move faced severe retaliation from various facets, increasing the incidence of terrorism in the country. Problems of sectarian violence already existed and now all Muslims of the country faced threats from terrorist groups such as Taliban. Terrorism did not only pose physical threat in terms of the lives of people but it had a far reaching impact. Terrorism shunned any opportunities of foreign investment in the country resulting in a loss for the country's economy. There was a fall in exports as people oversees did not want to trade with a terrorist State thus worsening the balance of payment position. The global crisis of 2008 hit Pakistan pretty badly resulting in several layoffs throughout the country. The country already marred by terrorism could not bear such a heavy loss. Many of the educated men and women are unemployed and they don't even have the chance of starting their own businesses because in such a crisis situation any investments made could result in huge losses for the them. Apart from the problems of terrorism and unemployment a serious issue has grown over the past few years and that is of load shedding. Pakistan power supply companies do not have enough power production to meet the needs of the people of the country. Urban areas face load shedding for 12 hours per day while in the rural areas the situation is worse as there is no electricity for up to 16 hours. Fuel prices have shot up with petrol and diesel becoming more expensive than it had ever been. People cannot afford travelling in the bus because the bus fares have gone up as a result of the increase in diesel prices. Most recently an alarming situation has developed for Pakistan in terms of the shortage of natural gas. No one expected that natural gas which was in abundance in the country would no longer be available. There is Gas load shedding in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. As most of the people shifted to CNG as fuel for their cars they are in serious trouble now. CNG is only available for 3-4 days a week and its prices have reached as high as petrol and diesel prices have. With the ever increasing problems for the general public of the country, it is time for something to be done on part of the government and the people. Everyone needs to contribute to take Pakistan out of this crisis situation.

Pakistani Culture
The culture of Pakistan includes various different cultures and societies of different ethnic backgrounds. In northern Pakistan there exists the Dardic, Wakhi and Burusho communities, the west comprises of the Baluch and the Pakhtoon, in eastern Pakistan there are the Muhajir and the Makarani communities and lastly in the east there are the Punjabis, Kashmiris and the Sindhis. The Pakistani culture is a mixture of all these cultures and ethnicities which have been significantly affected by the cultures of the neighboring countries including Turkish people, Persians, Afghans, Indians, the Southern and Central Asian Countries and of course for religious reasons the Middle East. In older times Pakistan was known to be the heart of Culture due to its people of diverse backgrounds. There happens to be many cultural rituals and magnificent structures that have been adapted from the past ancient rulers and colonizers of the state. The Persian Empire is one empire which has had the greatest influence on Pakistan, in fact the rulers of the Persian Empire in Pakistan known as the satraps were once upon a time the wealthiest of the whole empire. Other significant

empires which have had a great impact include the Afghan Empire, Mughal Empire and the British Empire (for a short duration). The cultural history of Pakistan dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization which existed in 2800 1800 B.C., and was known for its amazing cities, organized sanitation, brilliant roads and exquisite societies. The culture of Pakistan seems to be so diverse because it has been invaded quite a few times and has been inhabited by a number of different people, each of them have left their traces of culture on the locals of the country. The more prominent invaders were the Greeks, Aryans, White Huns, Arabs, Turks, Mongol, Afghans, Buddhists and other Eurasian groups until and including the British who finally left in the 1940s. There are differences in the cultural practices of different ethnic groups in dress, food and religious aspects; they show varying influence from Tibet, Nepal, India and Eastern Afghanistan. Pakistan was the first state in South Asia which received the complete influence of Islam; it has developed a unique Islamic identity, which is different from the areas of further west. The sites and structures that Pakistan is home to include Zorastrian Fire Temples, Islamic Centers, Shia Shrines, Sufi Shrines, Sikh, Hindu and Pagan temples, gardens, palaces, tombs, historical structures and Mughal buildings. Pakistan is also known for its sculptures (Greco Buddhist friezes), ceramic crafts, jewelry, silk goods and engraved woodwork and metal work. The Pakistan society is predominantly multilingual and multicultural. The cultures within Pakistan though seem to have more similarities than differences as they have co-existed for several thousands of years (and seem to have the Aryan heritage). More importantly after sixty years of integration in a state a unique Pakistani culture has emerged from within the many cultures that exist, especially in the urban areas where the various ethnic groups have lived together. The family values still hold respect and are significant, yet urbanization has increased the number of nuclear families, due to the socio economic constraints of the extended family in the traditional culture. Thus the culture of Pakistan is representative of its colorful history and the vibrant civilizations and empires that have existed in the region, however Pakistan has developed its own identity and culture amongst the many that have coexisted, by including variations of all the diverse ethnic cultures and practices of the various cultures.

Poverty in Pakistan
Poverty in Pakistan continues to be a source of distress for the country. The rise in poverty is a global phenomenon and developing countries like Pakistan seem to be the worst victims. Recession in the U.S and the European Union has pushed countries into higher levels of poverty and there seems to be no solution to this problem. According to the latest World Bank Reports Pakistan is ranked at number 43 in the list of countries most exposed to poverty. In view of the Human Development Index about 63 % of the people in the country earn less than $2 per day and around 23 % live on under $1 per day. Unequal distribution of income in Pakistan is a major underlying cause of poverty in the country. About 10 % of the total population earns 27% of the total income of the country. Another World Bank report highlights the fact that 37.4% of the children in Pakistan below the age of five are underfed. Pakistan Planning Commission has revealed that the poverty rate in Pakistan has increased by 14 % in the previous three years. In recent times there has been a decrease in government spending for the society's welfare which has reduced the standard of living for the people in the country. The high rates of inflation and the unavailability of consumer products does no good to pull the country out of this misery.

Apart from the financial dimensions of poverty there are various other facets which make a person poor. For instance in Pakistan there is poverty of opportunity. Women in Pakistan have lesser opportunities to work in the labour market than men therefore women suffer from poverty more than men in the country do. This view is supported by the fact that the participation rate of women in Pakistan's labour market is just 13.7 % in contrast to men who have a participation rate of 70.4%. There are various causes of poverty but the major reason for poverty in Pakistan is lack of governance. When people do not have confidence in a country's government they are not willing to invest in such an economy. Reduced investment means lesser employment opportunities which directly results in poverty. Poor governance has also caused a decrease in the efficiency of provision of social services that has not allowed any improvements in human development to take place. Moreover, the decrease in the GDP growth rate is a vital source for rise in the poverty levels. Poverty also depends on the structure on which a society is based. In Pakistan, the land ownership is highly unequally distributed between the rural populations which create an income gap within the rural sector. Although rising poverty levels in Pakistan is an alarming situation, it is not something which can not be curtailed. The politicians need to stop fighting over their position in the government and should concentrate on solving the issues surrounding the country amongst which poverty is one. There is a need for considerable effort to increase jobs and employment opportunities for the people. The government should focus on investing in developing infrastructure which would automatically create jobs in the country. Other than that efforts should be made to improve the law and order situation in the country so that there is reinstatement of business activities so that poverty could be reduced.

Floods in Pakistan
The problem of floods in Pakistan is not new as it dates back to the year of independence 1947 when the first major flood hit Pakistan. Since then eight more floods of even greater magnitude in 1954, 1970, 1988, 1992, 2001, 2005, 2007, and 2010 have caused heaps of destruction in the country taking the lives of millions of people and leaving billions of them homeless. However the latest flood in 2010 was the most devastating which damaged the infrastructure and economy of the country. The main reason for the 2011 floods was the heavy monsoon rainfall in all four provinces of the country. The severity of the flood could be determined by the fact that one-fifth of Pakistan's total land area was underwater. The floods took the lives of more than 2000 people and had a direct impact on the lives of 20 million other people by wiping out their property, livelihood and infrastructure. With the country already facing power shortages, the floods added to the misery as 10000 transmission lines and transformers were crushed resulting in an approximate power shortage of 3.135 Gigawatts. The floods also had an adverse impact on the health of the population in the flood affected areas spreading diseases like gastroenteritis, diarrhea and various other skin diseases. In

view of the disastrous floods, the President of Pakistan Mr. Asif Ali Zardari ordered that there would be no grand celebrations on the 14th of August. While the social impact of the floods was tremendous, the economic impact of it on the country was no less. According to the International Labour Organization about 5.3 million people lost their jobs as an aftermath of the flood. The floods affected many agricultural farms in the country destroying crops which further had a negative impact on other related industries like the Textile manufacturing industry which already was under severe financial and economic troubles. The growth rate of the country was expected to fall from the expected 4% to -2%. It is in times of calamity that a country realizes who their real friends from across the border are. The relief aid was substantial from foreign countries. The worldwide donations were approximately $687 million and $324 million were guaranteed in uncommitted assurances. The spirit of the locals of the country was astounding as each individual stepped forward to help his fellow citizens in times of need. Contributions by people were collected by Eidhi, Imran Khan and various NGOs. The floods received extensive media coverage due to which many of the celebrities also got forward to help collect funds for the flood relief. Various programs were aired on channels like Geo, ARY, etc in which celebrities from the showbiz and sports appealed for contributions. Although the floods in Pakistan bought high volumes of devastation for the country it also lightened up a spirit of patriotism and humanity in the people. While terrorism and crime rate were at the peak and people were scared to get out of their homes, this disastrous situation allowed them to forget all their fears and come forward to help the country in times of desperate need.

Corruption in Pakistan
Pakistan came into existence after the partition of India in 1947 and since then it has not been able to transform itself into a growing State as it would have been expected after 64 years of independence. The major underlying cause of such a disappointing situation for the country is that there is corruption in almost every sector of the country. According to the most recent perception report from Transparency International Pakistan published at the end of 2011, corruption in Land Administration leads the long list of corrupt affairs followed by police, income tax, judiciary, tendering and contracting, customs, plus state corporations and the least corrupt sector is perceived to be the army. The problem of corruption in Land Administration is predictably leading the list of the perceived evil of corruption. The politicians do not pay enough heat to this issue and refrain from carrying out the task of managing collections and preservation. This is more of a concern in the tribal areas where Feudal Lords backed by politicians dominate the land affairs. The police supposedly have a common ill in the underdeveloped world. There is inappropriate selection of the policemen without any emphasis given on keeping education as a pre requisite for entry into the sector. However most recently the country has kept a minimal level of education as a necessary requirement for being recruited in the police but corruption in the sector does not allow for such conditions to be

practically implemented. The number of police officials in the country is highly disproportionate to the ever growing population of Pakistan. Although the training provided to them is presumably the same as the army, there are hardly any traces of these training techniques being useful in this particular sector. The ills of the tax administration have resulted in poor tax revenues for the country in the past years. There is no doubt that Pakistan is ranked amongst the lowest tax revenue generating economies in the world. Nevertheless in recent times statistics have shown an improvement due to which the tax sector is no more considered to be the most corrupt sector of the country. The only way of eradicating problems from this sector is to reduce the direct contact between the taxpayer and tax collector as most of the rich population in the country does not pay income tax. They bribe the tax officials and their names on the tax collection lists automatically become invisible. Corruption is widespread in the country and it is vital to understand its root cause. There is no attention paid or effort put by the government to lessen or eradicate corruption in the country. The politicians themselves are corrupt and are only willing to fill their pockets rather than to solve the various problems Pakistan faces. The Anti Corruption unit is also believed by many as one of the most corrupt units in the country. As long as there is no proper check and control on corruption it will continue to take place at every level whether household or governmental. Pakistan should try to deal with the issue of corruption or else a time would come when it would be labeled as a "Failed State".

Child Labour in Pakistan

Child labour is an intricate issue especially for developing countries like Pakistan where there is no protection for people's rights, leave alone children's rights. But more importantly the use of Child Labour in the Textile Industry and Sports Goods Industry of Pakistan has been a source of serious concern for the country over the past few years. The use of Child Labour began in 1960 and since then it has been used as a means to expand the manufacturing base in Pakistan. Before the 60's child labour was widespread within family businesses but seldom did children work outside the home. With the increase in the number of new factories and a desire by factory owners to lower labour costs, Pakistan's explosion of a child based labor force stacked the country's economy. Poverty is by far the most important reason for the use of child labour in Pakistan's manufacturing industry. Majority of the families in Pakistan lie below the poverty line which leaves them with no option but to send their children to work so they can add to the family income. The increase in inflationary pressure affects the poor and the underprivileged segment of the society the most. Rising prices of basic necessities adds to the vulnerability to the worst forms of child labour. There is a deficiency of the Education System in Pakistan which leads to children going to work rather than going to schools to acquire education. The educational facilities available in small cities of the country are so poor and insufficient that parents have no motivation to send their children to schools so they prefer sending their children to work in the factories. For instance in Sialkot children engage in football stitching activities which enables them to learn vocational skills that helps them earn a living and hence it is a more viable option than acquiring education.

In a developing country like Pakistan there are hardly any traces of Labour Protection found. Although there are various laws to protect exploitation of labour they are rarely implemented. There have been numerous programs to eradicate child labour and various measures taken by the NGOs for protection of children's rights but other than some instances the problem of implementation of these programs persists. ILO initiated an independent monitoring programme in accordance with the International Programme for the elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) to eradicate child labour from Pakistan's manufacturing industry. ILO also acquired assistance from members of the industry. This programme required from the manufacturers, details of production for example the location and number of workers employed by the manufacturers. The manufacturers were bound to provide these details over a period of 18 months. Members of IPEC made regular visits to the production centers to determine whether there was any child labour employed in the industry. When traces of child labour were found IPEC ordered the manufacturers to take immediate action or else their membership from IPEC would be removed. However various steps have been taken to eradicate child labour from the industries, a change in the local attitude of the workers is the most significant factor to maintain a long lasting impact on the prevalence of child labour in the country.