WHY SO DISPARITY IN THE SALARIES AND LIVING STANDARD OF THE PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN?

                   Once in a book of Sociology from a Western Country, I saw two photographs of two persons pasted on the same page side by side. One was of a University Professor, wearing a gown standing in front of the blackboard teaching to the class while the other was of sweeper, holding a broom. Below both photographs, it had been written thus: Although both have different social statuses but same salaries.

                   It means salaries are paid to the servants in the Western Countries based on their daily needs. But in our Country salaries are given to the servants on the basis of their posts, personal relations etc, not based on their day-to-day requirements.

                   I read in a Newspaper that Chief Executive Officer of HUBCO gets Rs. 30, 00000/- while a labour in that department gets Rs. 3000/-. It is possible that the CEO may get such salary in addition to other allowances, furnished bungalow and all the facilities which a human being can imagine while the labour has to fulfil all the requirements in his Rs. 3000/-.

                   Stanley wrote, Caliph Omar said, "The cause of starvation is not less production but wrong distribution".

                   Wrong distribution of everything like land, wealth, natural resources, posts, scales, salaries, powers, privileges, prerogatives etc.

                   President Musharraf had rightly analysed the causes of terrorism both nationally and internationally i.e. economic, political, social and other deprivations but failed to address the analysed causes due to reasons best to him and proved himself like a doctor who diagnosed the disease but either did not possess the medicine or did not want to give medicine for the treatment of the diagnosed disease.

                   Although he possessed tremendous powers but he did not use them to the betterment of the people of the Country, otherwise the present crises would have never been emerged in any department of the Government. He kept himself at one side from the people of Pakistan and depended upon that information which his officials provided to him and resulted the present situations. Intentionally or unintentionally, he did not establish relations with the downtrodden people of the Country, which aggravated the sense of the people. He talked about Mega Projects but his friends in the Governments were working only for themselves and not for the people, which created the present crises in last 8 years. The eyes of the people of Pakistan are open and observing every act of every person in the Government.

                   Musharraf conducted elections with complete impartiality and will be remembered for it but the nation will also remember that his friends in the Government brought such policies, which were against the interests of the people and confronted them with starvation.

                   Industrialists, Capitalists, Landlords, Bankers, Heads of Institutions etc, tremendously progressed and shifted every hardship to the masses and low-scaled employees and consumers.

                   The natural resources are exploited to the benefits of only a few persons or families. The same is the situation in the present Government. A question arises, who is the beneficiary of the wheat crisis, rice crisis and other edible items?

                   How long the people should accept the promises and tall claims of the Politicians of the Country. In 1985, late Mohammad Khan Juneju said people would get rid of load-shedding till 1990 but 18 years passed but this problem was not solved. The successive governments destroyed economy of Pakistan either by writing off loans and other monetary scandals or by Corruption. Pakistan's was badly introduced as a land of Corruption. Those who were in the governments progressed but the common person did not progress.

                   Shaukat Aziz abolished "Selection Grade" to the Civil Servants, advance increments on higher qualification and also decreased the amount of "Gratuity" on retirement but no one was able to say a word. Teaching allowance was not given to the Teachers of the Province of NWFP, Pay Scales stages were increased from 15 to 30 in order to stop the concept of "move-over" from one scale to another scale and thus the Judgements of the Supreme Court on the subject of "move-over" became redundant.

                   Shaukat Aziz facilitated the nourishment of Bankers and boasted that he rescued Pakistan from IMF but the nation saw that he did so for handing over Pakistan to World Bank. Loans are obtained from the World Bank in the name of the people of Pakistan but what out put the nation has received is yet to be decided.

                   In all the Universities of Pakistan, renowned Professors of Economics are teaching the alphabets and concepts of good economy to the students. They should be properly consulted in order to find out the causes of poverty, low payment of salaries etc. But it seems to me that the elite class wants to keep suppressed the salaried class and other helpless people which is evident from the one crisis after another in the Country.

                   I solute to the Unity of the people of MQM who send their MNAs and MPAs to the Assemblies with more than hundred thousands of votes. Their elected personalities have won the hearts of their people; therefore, they cast votes in such majority and with full enthusiasm. Whatever terms are being used for the MQM but it is a fact that their leaders have won the hearts of their people.

                   I request all the Governments both at Centre and Provinces to upgrade the living condition of not only the salaried classes but also those of unemployed young ones by the minimization of number of festivals and expenditure on non-developmental activities which they know very well in which areas they should take measures.

Manzoor Ahmad

B.Sc; L.L.B M.A. Political Science,

Marghuz Balar Khel, District Swabi, N.W.F.P. Pakistan.

Mobile No: 0345-9503142.

Dated: Tuesday, 06 May 2008.

Email: manzoorahmadjallamallb@hotmail.com