Daily Times

Asalways, the feudal lords are again geared up to perpetuate their domination over the country’s legislature in the forthcoming general elections. This landed gentry always plays a decisive role in the country’s electoral combat. This time again, these feudal lords, owing to their numerical superiority in the electoral race, are going to decide the destiny of Pakistan.

This feudal class, due to enormous land holdings and power,is deeply entrenched in our socio-political system. Despite some piecemeal land reforms introduced by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Ayub Khanto dismantle feudalism in Pakistan, it is still alive and kicking.If this system, whichis characterised by oppression, exploitation and thraldomcontinues to thrive, our long-cherished goal to accomplish genuine democratic dispensation in our country would always remain an elusive dream.

Chronologically, feudalism existed even before the inception of Pakistan.The leadership of Pakistan Muslim League, the political entity that translated the dream of Pakistan into a reality, was dominated primarily by feudal landowners with the sole exception of Jinnah who was a lawyer by profession.

In fact, this feudal class was orchestrated by our colonial masters under the divide and rule syndrome. They, in order to cement their rule in the sub-continent, had devised this system of subjugation and exploitation merely for their vested interests.

Pakistan is an agrarian country. The rural population living under feudal arrangements has always plays a crucial role in every election. Moreover, almost half of Pakistan’s GDP and the bulk of its export earnings are driven from the agriculture sector, which is controlled by a few hundred families. This concentration of economic power coupled with political power makes these landed aristocrats strong enough to exert gargantuan influence on the rural electorate. As a consequence, this landed aristocracy has successfully perpetuated their monopoly over virtually all of Pakistan’s legislatures. The political baton passes on to the scions of these families,generation after generation: Bhuttos, Gilanis, Makhdooms, Mehars, Jakhranis, Bijranis, Rinds, Raisanis,Jamalis, Soomros, the Khan of Kalabagh’s family and others are some examples.

Presently, if we cast a glance upon our political landscape, it seems dotted with people that haveroots in landlordism. According to statistics, approximately 80 per centof the people elected as representatives in Punjab are feudal lords whereas in Sindh the number hits 90 per centand Balochistan touches 99 per cent. The mainstream political parties like PPP and PML-N,and now PTI with its new crop of electables are feudal-oriented. How could one expect that these lordswho are the incarnation of evil, tyranny and exploitation and the prime beneficiaries of the status quo would ever think of reforming it?

Besides, one of the factors thathasstunted the growth of our nascent democracy is anachronistic feudalism. It is a major obstacle in the way of democratic polity since both feudalism and democracy are antipodal and therefore cannot coexist. In addition, the founding principles of both the systems are also poles apart. Feudalism is driven by the principles of individualism, oppression, bondage, and slavery whereas democracy is premised on the principles of participation, peace, equality, pluralism and freedom.

As mentioned earlier, feudal lords are the kingmakers. Without their connivance, one cannot think of winning the polls. For this very reason, PTI, a party that people were looking forward to launchinga waragainst this landed class, had to alter its policy. The champions of justice are now at the mercy of champions of injustice.

As people consider the feudal lords as despicable creatures, a new euphemism “electables” has been coined by our politicians to fool the innocent masses.

According to statistics, approximately 80 percent of the people elected as representatives in Punjab are feudal lords whereas in Sindh the number hits 90 percent and Balochistan touches 99 percent. Mainstream political parties like PPP and PML-N,and now PTI with its new crop of electables are feudal-oriented. How could one expect these lords, who are the incarnation of evil, tyranny and exploitation and the prime beneficiaries of the status quo, to ever work towards meaningful reform ?

Clientelism or clientelist politics that has been principle hallmark of Pakistani politics is also a by-product of feudalism. It is widely defined in the literature as one that relies on an exchange of materialfavours for political support among actors with asymmetric power. The feudal lords (patrons) have developeda lopsided and exploitative patron-client relationship with their tenants (clients). They woo their serfs to vote for them in exchange for some material benefits. Since the proletariat has no money to buy fertilisers, seeds, and insecticides etc., they are compelled to bank on the pecuniary support of their landlords. They also arbitrate their tribal feuds and thereby protect them from police and the court of law.Keeping these favours of their landlords in mind, they feel as if they are under obligations of their landlords and when the time comes to repay such obligations; they leave no stone unturned to please their masters. Furthermore, they sometimes even intimidate them saying that if they don’t capitulate to their demands, they would be divested of their lands given to them for cultivation.

Additionally, the feudal juggernauts deliberately keep their subjects uneducated so that they are unable to ascertain right and wrong and vote at the behest of their conscience.Consequently, what we see on the polling day are the buses loaded with the exploited peasantry who under the duress of their feudal masters vote not in accordance with their aspirations butas per the will of their landlords. As a result, we have democratically elected dictators in the parliament.

Moreover, once this landed gentry reaches the house of power, they forget the impoverished peasantry of their constituency. The life of the poor peasant does not change; they remain poor and underprivileged. On the other hand, the feudal lords who were voted by their penury-stricken serfs, keep multiplying their fortunes and power without taking care of the rights of the poor voters.

It reminds me of the admonishment byQuaid-e-Azam who once warned the landlords and the capitalists in the following words: “Here, I would like to give a warning to the landlords and the capitalists. The exploitation of the masses has gone into their blood. They have forgotten the lesson of Islam. Do you visualise that millions have been exploited and cannot get one meal a day? If this is the idea of Pakistan, I would not have it.”

To cap it all, until we reform our land-tenure system, we cannot have a fair, free and transparent election.Democracy as a system germinates at the polling booth that is unfortunately manipulatedand marshalled by our landed aristocracy. Therefore, to achieve a truly democratic dispensation, we need to undermine the role of feudal juggernauts as much as possible in electoral combat.Otherwise,the sham democracy would ever remain our inevitable destiny.

The writer is a lawyer based in Jafarabad, Balochistan

Published in Daily Times, July 21^st 2018.