Between the lines Election, Revolution, or Solidarity By Fayyaz Baqir

In Pakistan efforts for social transformation have been made in three different ways, through elections, revolutionary resistance, and engaging with the government. The main purpose of electoral politics is to solve economic issues through legislation. The laws that deal with improving people’s lives include fixing direct and indirect tax rates, carrying out agricultural reforms, rationalizing the defence budget, and seeking investments through loans or inviting direct foreign investments. Increasing tax collection and reducing the size of the official debt is the main challenge of our legislation. Elected representatives have not made any legislation to ask the wealthy classes to pay taxes commensurate with their level of income. Our state should collect at least 20% of the total national income in the form of tax to fulfill its welfare obligations. But in the last seventy-five years, our tax collection rate has been close to 10 percent. State institutions have met the shortage of government resources in three ways. by illegally grabbing national resources, especially lands, by taking concessional loans from foreign countries, or by extorting money for providing basic amenities to the people. So the first question is why the tax rate has not been increased by abolishing exemptions to the ruling elite through legislation. The second question is why loans were not replaced by direct investment. The third question is why the defence budget has not been balanced. The fourth question is why an adequate budget has not been spent on human development and the welfare of the people.

In Pakistan’s first general election in 1970, there was a “threat” of fair legislation by the Awami League on these basic issues. Therefore, the Awami League leadership was labeled as traitors and we got rid of them. These issues still need legislation. But it requires the support of a two-thirds majority in the assembly. Getting a simple majority is not enough. Asif Ali Zardari was the only exception who succeeded in the passage of the 18th constitutional amendment without two thirds majority in the parliament. As a matter of practice, the majority of the assembly members are not interested in attending the assembly sessions and the business of legislation. Prime Ministers themselves rarely bother to spend time in the assembly sessions. Legislation is done by bureaucracy and new laws are usually introduced through presidential ordinances.

Political change through armed rebellion has also been tested in Pakistan. According to the Supreme Court’s decision, all major political and religious parties of Pakistan have armed groups. Some of these armed groups were tasked with grabbing land and extorting money. Some groups consider it “good” to bring down the bodies of people of different faiths. The Balochs have rebelled three times to establish an independent state. The Pakhtuns have carried out armed operations to establish the Islamic Emirate of Waziristan through Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. The MQM could not legislate to transfer political, financial, and administrative powers to the local government despite having the power of votes and weapons and being part of the government for 50 years. Many of their fiery political leaders have been threatening armed revolution to hide their political incompetence. The Taliban have twice taken power in Afghanistan through armed force. But they also need the help of western-trained civil society to run the government system. They have not been able to end their isolation in the world community with their firepower. Without an experienced administration, they cannot run the government. The Taliban have taken over the government but capturing the government and establishing a welfare system are two different things. In our neighboring country India, the Communists have achieved great success through democratic politics compared to the armed insurrection of Naxalites. Therefore, it is a better political strategy to bring about change through ballet rather than the bullet.

Pakistan’s working classes have achieved their rights by greasing the palms of the officials or paying the ‘service fee’ to mafias. Millions of workers have got a roof over their heads through the “land grabber mafia”. Poor citizens give allowances to Chatti Dalals to get justice from the police and the court. They get electricity by use of kundi (illegal connection). They also pay allowances to government officials or their elected representatives to get government jobs. There has also been a fundamental change in the debate about changing the economic system. However, finding a way to access services through legal and moral means is possible. After 1929, advanced capitalist countries became mixed economies, and after 1992 socialist countries embraced similar changes. At present, the real question is not to establish private or collective ownership of the means of production. Rather, it is to demand the people’s rightful share in the national income. This point has also been presented by Thomas Picketty as a solution to end exploitation. In view of this observation, it can be concluded that the focal point of any social change should be a progressive and equitable tax system. The people in Pakistan have no party that can lead the battle for change in the tax system in an electoral or revolutionary manner at the national level. But the people can organize themselves locally and win their battles step by step. They can achieve success not by clashing with the government but by learning how to bargain and by making inroads in the government system. There is only one ideological obstacle in its path. They believe in the rhetoric of revolution, they do not believe in solving problems by collaborating with the government. In his view, the victory of one class results from the defeat of another class. This has been the thinking of all the ruling parties. But there is a win-win way to transform Pakistan. It is based on the fact that the government and the people complement each other.

It is interesting that we all believe that the policy of the British Raj was to divide and rule. And when someone says, ‘do not fear and own your government,’ we think that it does not suit us. Following the strategy of partnering with the government in Pakistan, enlightened individuals and institutions within and outside the government have provided unparalleled support to the people in the fight for human development. This way they have won large-scale battles for low-income communities. This fight can start on a small scale and lead to success on a large scale. This point has been stated by the Sufi poet Shah Hussain of Punjab.

It takes the needle of reason and thread of love to make transformative connections