Fulminating rhetoric?

Pakistan’s economic crisis is now bleeding the country inwards, with a realisation dawning upon experts that most of its woes have been created internally

- SHANTANU MUKHARJI

It may appear repetitive or perhaps monotonous, to comment on Pakistan's ongoing political and economic crisis which makes the 75-year-old country on the brink of a near collapse. The economic woes being faced by Pakistan are largely its own creation and even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) seem reluctant to bail the country out from the economic meltdown.

Amid these developments, in-house criticism of Pakistan's political and economic policies is being glaringly highlighted by scholars and analysts. In a recent write-up in a prominent Pakistani daily, Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy, a well-known physicist, has come down heavily on the homegrown elite of Pakistan who not only circumvent the Pakistani laws but also show scant respect for the polity and the general people. Elaborating on his point of view, Dr Hoodbhoy states that in cultured societies, elites take delight in scientific and academic matters. They endow universities with chairs and professorships and institutions bearing their names immortalize the donors. Named after JRD Tata, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) is the proud flagship of Indian science. But one can fruitlessly scour all of Pakistan for someone who will donate to science or arts. As for music, famed Pakistani ghazal singers like the late Mehdi Hasan and Ghulam Ali received more appreciation in India than in Pakistan. Philanthropy in Pakistan means donating to Madrassas, mosques, and hospitals. Blaming the neo-rich, he goes on to allege that some Pakistanis are rich because they are thugs, land grabbers, manipulators, and rent-seekers.