Commenting on my post of yesterday, a friend has innocently asked why do I keep referring to Pakistan as the Land of the Pure when with all the corruption, intolerance, bigotry, terror, and mayhem, there is nothing pure left about the country. Another one has wondered about the Big Money claim in support of the countrys three time Prime Minister. Let me respond with the attached photos. Pakistan is a country of highs and lows, contrasts and contradictions. Yes, the name Pakistan was coined by an admirer of Iqbals vision, Rehmat Ali, by incorporating the names of majority Muslim provinces of Punjab, Kashmir, Sind, Balochistan, etc. and the word Pak translates in English as Pure but the purity, just as beauty, lies in the eyes of the beholder. I am a strong believer in purification and I practice it in my personal and business life. It is never too late to purify and Pakistan is ready for a process of purification. I have been fortunate that I have spent a good part of my youth trekking in Gilgit, Hunza, and Baltistan. I have seen some of the highest peaks of the world inside Pakistan up close. Being a frequent flier on the PIAs Islamabad Beijing Route, I have literally hugged these peaks sitting in the comfort of the PIA Jets cockpit. You have to believe me there is nothing purer on this planet than these peaks and the water that flows from them. Except I am now worried what climate change and global warming is about to do to Pakistan because glaciers of the Pakistani Karakoram mountain range are melting faster than anybody had imagined. My attached photo of K2 range and the status of River Indus at Skardu is the case in point. River Indus along with other rivers originating in the North are the lifeline for Pakistan. Pakistans cotton crop, the principal revenue generator for the country is totally dependent on them. And that brings me to the Big Money question in Pakistan. Since the creation of Pakistan and beginning with the days of Adamjee, Ispahani, and Dawood (architects of Jinnahs Pakistan), cotton and resulting textiles have been the principal drivers of Pakistani economy. New textile barons emerged during Ayubs long tenure and every military dictator after him produced his own textile tycoons including the Saigols, Chniotis, and the current Prime Ministers family. The women from Meranpur village of Sindh, shown here plucking cotton blooms, are the backbone of this industry but unfortunately they are the least rewarded in the entire society. Textile tycoons are the most rewarded and with their diversified holdings in other industries, they control the bulk of Pakistani economy. Over the years, they have also become the most corrupt as they are the one who have routinely purchased every general election held in the country. Overseas Pakistanis who have zero representation in Pakistani assemblies have been routinely blocked from voting by this textile mafia and their designated hitters like Zardaris and Sharifs. Overseas Pakistanis have been sending over one and a half billion dollars every month to Pakistan which has been sustaining Pakistani economy. Textile Group exported last year $ 13.65 Billion of textiles but they managed to siphon most of it to their overseas bank accounts. Instead of using their own sales revenues for future investment in the country, they have borrowed a whopping Rs.1.6 Trillion from the Pakistani banking system. Just like Sharif family defaulted on their loan of over twenty billion rupees, most of textile mafia today consists of loan defaulters. According to State Bank, non performing loans outstanding to the Textile and Garment Sector alone are in excess of 710 Billion Rupees. My friends often talk about high level corruption in the country. They need to know where the bulk of the money for the political corruption comes from. Dr. Muhammad M. Awan 1/5/14
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 06:16:13 +0000
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