By: Asem Mustafa Awan
The lockdown will be in place but thousands will be spending the Eidul Fitr amid hunger as the people responsible for disbursement of Zakat after collecting their wages will leave for their hometowns, leaving the ones dependent on them in the lurch.
Such are the ways in ‘land of the pure’ which make even the Prime Minister Imran Khan admitting his helplessness.
It is believed that around 50,000 will be deprived of Zakat assistance as lockdown would cause unavoidable delay, resulting into subsequent delay in assistance of destitute.
This needs to be fixed. One way is to bind the respective department set up to disburse Zakat not to leave for their homes until the work has been done, ensuring the poor to get their money which is promised.
Pakistan has tales of corruption that are from ‘twilight zone’ and such ways and schemes have been devised that make Lucifer shy.
It is noted with great pain that these poor, in dire of financial aid, have been visiting the Zakat and Ushar Departments many times a day but the lack of empathy added with incompetence have made the disbursement so laborious.
Prime Minister Imran Khan who got the opportunity to rein the country on one slogan i.e. accountability, must push himself to take an action in which heads should roll.
A simple circular to the offices and departments that deal with public having the forewarning that all salaries will be attached on the outcome of the work will have encouraging positive impact on the performance of functionaries. This is a distant dream that was envisioned by great Quaid Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
This dream did come true in the early years but with incompetent leadership and added to this predicament was extractive nature of political and economic institutions, the country was made to dive in a tattering situation.
The harrowing tales of corruption amounting up to billions of rupees are in the public accounts committee but not even a single one has been punished.
The law of the land encourages corruption and the recent example has open door which is bound to unfold in a manner which will have details never been unearthed in history.
Prime Minister has made many efforts but one man against a serpent with countless corrupts and hissing heads has very limited chance to stand tall.
The unfolding truth which leaks out time and again in social media depicts that sad state of affairs and there is little which could be done.
The decayed and stagnant system needs bleeding and this should be done once and for all for the good of the generations to come which have been lost hope due to unhindered decades of corrupt practices.
Pakistan needs a change and it should now start from the very top as corrupt from the high echelons have always been accommodated and were given new lease of life to play havoc with the lives of common man yet again.