Divine ‘amanat’
WITH regards to Pakistan, nature has been very kind and generous. It has endowed Pakistan — a beautiful country — with vast natural resources. It is blessed with all four seasons of the year; it gets sunlight all through the year; it has beautiful landscapes, majestic mountains, glaciers, rivers and a long coastal belt — all with distinct geographical features. We are blessed with fertile lands and a good canal system but internationally, we lag behind in many aspects.
Despite being blessed with considerable gifts of nature, our country finds itself in a chaotic situation. There is no dearth of natural wealth in the country nor do we lack talent. Yet we are unable to tap these resources for our development. Therefore, our currency is weak, our economy is aid-based, and we cannot run our country without IMF bailout packages. Our green passport is currently ranked amongst the lowest worldwide, while millions of Pakistanis live in abject poverty and hunger.
Though we are the trustees of this beautiful land, we have failed to adequately manage the trust. No individual can be charged for this unfortunate condition. However, many attribute this situation to our collective failure to treat Pakistan as a divine trust or amanat. We do not value Pakistan as a divine gift; we have developed a laidback and unconcerned attitude towards its progress and integrity. We live beyond our means and espouse the culture of extravagance; misuse and mismanagement of resources are the main reasons for our difficulties.
This is a time of self-reflection and course correction. A resuscitation process is the need of the hour. If we want our country to shine internationally, then we should reflect on Quranic verses, especially wherein Allah says, “… Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. … (13:11)”.
We have failed to treat Pakistan as a divine trust.
There is no doubt that most Pakistanis are sincere, hardworking and God-fearing. They love their country and are ready to make sacrifices for it. But they have not been lucky enough to get an upright and honest leadership in politics, economics, business, trade, and other societal affairs. They deserve a competent, devoted and honest leadership, whose lifestyle reflects the inner and outer aspects of their existence.
The leadership should respect the taxpayer and hold human dignity as sacred. They need to rekindle the national spirit and consider Pakistan as a divine gift, an amanat. Every inch of Pakistan and its natural resources are part of the divine trust. Therefore, it is necessary to use its resources with utmost care and responsibly, thoughtfully, scrupulously and conscientiously. Allah enjoins believers to “…not betray Allah and the Messenger [PBUH] or betray your trusts while you know [the consequence] (8:27)”.
The absence of the notion of amanat has led many to unethical practices. It has made common people lose their faith in state institutions. The development of Pakistan rests on the strength of its institutions. Unless these are effective and trusted by the people, achieving development and prosperity will become near impossible.
There are numerous examples of failure within institutions. For example, it is very unfortunate that we see state employees drawing their salaries, but these individuals are insincere in the performance of their duties. We, as a nation, utterly lack a national spirit, and as a result, we habitually remain negligent of our duties. For instance, in spite of having sufficient stocks of wheat in the country, the essential food grain was imported recently, causing the state losses in billions of rupees. It was a highly irresponsible act on the part of the authorities concerned.
We see corruption and lawlessness in most departments. The politicians use foul language to embarrass others, they submit fake degrees to stand in elections, police parties kill innocent people in fake encounters, businessmen evade taxes, builders openly violate approved plans of construction to mint more money and use low-quality material, teachers skip classwork in order to privately tutor students while doctors recommend certain drugs for a commission from pharmaceutical firms. In all these examples, the national spirit is violated. In short, Pakistan suffers from an insincere leadership which cares very little for the people.
We cannot change our present conditions overnight, as we do not have a magic wand. Yet we must strive to forge a national spirit, treating Pakistan as a divine gift. It requires hard work, sacrifice, blood and sweat. Together we can strengthen the foundations of Pakistan and ensure that the country serves as a beacon of hope and progress for future generations.
The writer is an educationist with an interest in religion.
Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2024