By Sirajuddin Aziz
Copyright brecorder
Perhaps the caption might startle the reader! An obvious question that would immediately seize you for an answer is on what exactly is the co- relationship between a human trait and a country named Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The two must reside on opposite poles; so why have they been clubbed? I shall explain.
Men are greedy of other’s property and are extravagant in acquiring their own. A rare punishment, it is said, of avarice to itself. Greed is a self-taught trait. Those who have it in great quantum consider themselves lucky. The more you get, the more is the ask. More is always less. The vaults of greed are like one big Pacific Ocean, which refuses no water from any river.
Pakistan was born pure and neat. Since the decades of the fifties, the nation has been loitering and wandering upon the world, with no meaningful harm to others, except ourselves. We have failed to guard our innocence that we were blessed with on that blessed day of August, 1947.
Then, our politicians, bureaucrats, judges, parliamentarians, teachers, businessmen, students, and all men, women and children were focused selflessly in building the nascent state, which was facing huge challenges of Partition and of course of the neighbouring enemy, which was bent on undoing the country. The squander since then has been progressive. Every single period of economic growth has brought in its wake new heights of greed for acquisition of wealth, by any means. The end has been predominant, the “means”, a thing to be forgotten and buried, eternally.
As a Nation, we have indulged by choice, exercised by a few and most by virtue of no option, into self-flagellation. Misery hasn’t descended without the active participation of greed. We have none to blame except ourselves for destroying the social fabric of purity that we began with in our journey at independence. “I brought myself down. I gave them a sword. And they stuck it in.” (Richard Nixon, US President).
In this environment of greed all have abused the system, the entire strata and all segments of society. Businessmen have continually been killing the goose that promised of laying golden eggs. No amount or number of geese in the shape of subsidies, concessions and grants has been able to take away their greed, of looking at more as less. As a case in point, for over four decades or more, Businessmen have abused the “Export Refinance” facility. A concessional finance that was made available to them, on both pre- and post-shipment basis, was thoroughly misused.
The end purpose of increasing exports remained unfulfilled. Instead “conversion” took place, that is, the money obtained was diverted to other sectors like, say, the real estate. Some of these businesses were so unkind in their greedy quest that they lawfully/ unlawfully remitted this concessional finance overseas (the US, UK, UAE, Canada, etc.) to buy real estate. For some, and for right reasons, these investments became the graveyard of concessional finance. This is a mere drop in the oceans of greed and corruption.
Those who have stolen the treasures of the state vociferously cry incessantly to stop and catch the thief. Hence to catch a thief, we have installed several thieves. Our wizards of corruption are actually a leaf out of the fables of the Arabian Nights. The King of Baghdad, Ahmed, having been deceived by his trusted adviser, Jaffar, loses the throne. To reclaim the throne he enlists the ‘popular thief of Baghdad, Abu, for assistance. Finally, Ahmed and Abu, in the fable, face off together against Jaffer. The fable’s moral is a lesson for us as a Nation; for a return to nobility, the labour necessary must be deployed for true independence and growth can happen only if it is earned. And not looted from others.
Whilst ripening the treasure people expect to have picnic in the gardens of delight, peace and progress. Naivety, like intelligence, has no boundaries or limitations. Nobody has ever been carried/buried in a coffin of gold or with solitaire diamonds encrusted upon its borders. “Bell, book and candle shall not drive me back, when gold and silver becks me to come on.” (William Shakespeare).
If the appetite for want is larger, it drives man to do what any hungry man or animal would do — devour without remorse or regret the very source that satiates the urge of hunger, read here ‘greed’. The country is inflicted with the carnage and tyranny of corruption. Where the carcass is, there shall the eagles be gathered.
To understand meaning of greed, the need is to study the man. This ‘man’ in 1947 was truly in divine form. Hearts with mercy. Passion with nobility. Peaceful coexistence being the creed. In this journey of over seven decades, this man reinvented himself every single day. The transition to descent has been gradual, swift and sometimes with speed and rapidity. The human heart now houses cruelty, jealousy, biases, prejudices and ill will. Greed is a useless passion but has enticing appeal. Greed is not a single dimension ailment but is Hydra, multidimensional, leading to from moral to financial Corruption.
If Mother Nature made men as equals, it is men who have made inequality between men. When all other sins are old, avarice is still young; it is an apt French proverb. Greed finds the fortunes of this world to be very less than its capacity to fill. Each man desires to have the “golden touch”. Man conveniently forgets that when greed touches fortune, it renders it to dust and ashes.
In his autobiography, the legendary, Syed Babar Ali, writes, “…My uncle had fewer children and he was an equal partner with my father so he was able to live in greater style than we did but my mother never let us feel deprived in any way. My cousin who was a few years younger to me had more toys than I ever had, but my mother said, “you should be happy to see his toys, rather than be jealous. It is a disease which only hurts you’. I don’t remember going home crying for anything….” The training at home then was to expunge greed out of the individual.
The characteristic of greed is ingratitude. Consequently, we have been biting each other’s hands, even those of (Pakistan) that were / is feeding us. Ungrateful. There is aplenty of everything in our beloved country, but it is not enough for everyone’s greed. Even if all the rich and filthy were to distribute their collective wealth between themselves therefore will still be short on the scale of greed.
There was once a land where justice was blind. Human avarice led to transforming the land, where now “victims” are blind, who are subjected to “innocent justice”. Accountability is victim to Biblical remark, “he that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at…”. We cannot point a finger. We are all guilty of possessing insatiable greed.
Last Thursday I had the good fortune to spend almost twenty minutes in the gracious presence of a senior, accomplished and successful businessman. In conversation about several things, I punched in a question, in-between,” Sir, what do you think is the cause of decline of our country from the high pedestal of morality and uprightness that you just spoke about, with pride”? He answered, voluminously in two words, “human Greed”. And that reply has been nagging me, why have we dispossessed ourselves of the gains we made under the leadership of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, while seeking the Islamic Republic of Pakistan?
Jinnah (Gulliver) founded a country for giants, the human weakness of greed avarice, covetousness, acquisitiveness and rapacity led to extinction of the giants, and a few Lilliputians gained currency of acceptance, with unlimited powers to create a country of haves and haves-not; the latter being more than the former.
The partnership between the young saints and the old devil must be broken; it must perish. The stench of greed that blows across our sacred lands cannot be overcome by all the perfumes from either France or Arabia.
Our hearts shriveled by the deadly disease of greed can become green again only if we can temper our quest for more. “Hope springs eternal in human breast: Man never is, but always to be blessed.” (Alexander Pope).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
