We live in an elite-to-the-core society where political, financial, economic, social, cultural and any other variety of power is shared by a close clique which is not only corrupt but also inhuman, ruthless and anti-people to the core. This close clique shares all the riches of the land but shares none of its burdens. It gobbles up bank loans, aids, grants and foreign debts and let the people pay. It lives in luxury enough to shame the rulers of the most developed countries of the world. It is law unto itself. It treats its people like piece of dirt and get away with it with complete impunity.

This most criminal clique on the face of the earth fakes differences at times among its rank to befool the people to win their sympathy as and when a need arises. It develops sudden affection and brotherly love for the very commoners that it ruthless exploits at the time of elections. It shamelessly keeps on demanding its already taxed to death subjects more and more sacrifices while sitting pretty with billions stashed in foreign banks and accumulating ill-gotten wealth by each minute.

The members of this criminal clique not only owns palatial residences in every major city, every resort, every hill station within the country but also expensive palaces, flats and apartments across some of the most romantic cities of the world whose names their subjects could hardly spell or pronounce.

Pakistani rulers and leaders is the most fortunate lot anywhere, a lot that put to shame even their counterparts in the most developed of the developed world. Democracy is nothing but an illusion here because where else the leaders after getting elected could get away with such total absence of accountability. Can the most powerful president on the earth, Barak Obama, can even think of, not to mention actually committing, taking a plane load of cronies on a foreign trip costing tens of millins of hard-earned tax payers money? Would the American people tolerate display of such pomp and luxury by their president? No, never because democracy does not end but begin with election in America unlike what we have been conditioned to believe in this merciless part of the world.

What's democracy without accountability and leadership without ethics? Are elections that ensure bringing only the most unscrupulous to the power really worth calling elections? Will the vicious cycle of loot, plunder, inhumane taxation and ruthless exploitation after every musical chair of elections never stop? Will the rulers- including those occupying the treasury and opposition benches; feudals, landed gentry as well as the industrialists; merchants; civil and uniformed bureaucracy; judiciary, executive, police, paramilitary forces by any name- ever try to live up to the expectations of the people?

Black American nationalist leader Louis Farrakhan warned Afro-American leaders "not to be a prostitute selling the aspirations of their people". However, when Pakistanis look around them they see that they are only surrounded by leaders of all shades and hues that love nothing more in the world but to prostitute the aspirations of their people.
The so-called representatives of Pakistani people, be they senators of members of parliaments, are rolling in money. The mandatory declaration of assets show that despite showing devalued properties and assets rich rules the senate and parliaments. A federal minister, who vociferously defended the burying alive of three Balochi girls as a tribal tradition - is the richest Senator. He owns around 50,000 acres of agricultural lands worth several billions of rupees, mostly in Balochistan but 3,000 acres in Thatta.
Another Senator and a federal minister Minister owns vast properties not only within but also outside the country. He owns nine houses in Bahria Town in Rawalpindi with an estimated [under]value of Rs180 million and also over $1.6 million worth of properties in the US and two under construction residential towers in the UAE worth 20 million dirhams. Attorney-General Pakistan owns houses in Lahore, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Kasur, Rawalpindi and Islamabad, a flour mill, flats, offices, agricultural land and residential plots.

It would be a waste of time to mention details of the assets and properties of other elected representatives. Instead let me ask once again, "why many have nothing? Why a vast majority of the population go hungry?" It is simply because in this land of man-made poverty a few have everything and because that few has developed the nasty habit of hoarding every single grain of wheat, rice, pulses, sugar; every drop of edible oil, petroleum and water; every kilowatt of power and every cubic centimeter of gas.