Daily Times

It is widely believed that mystery is always mischief. Without transparency there can be neither merit nor rule of law. Living in an information age, collection –  then dissemination –  of data and information should not be difficult. In this regard the situation in Pakistan has always has been very dismal mainly because of centuries of colonial systems that remain in control. It has been recently reported that the British colonists stole around $45 trillion from India. Such facts are coming to light after seven decades of independence.

The colonial system has several layers of secrecy. Citizens’ right to information is seriously curtailed. Several acts have been passed yet the right has been denied. Lack of credible information leads to incorrect decisions followed by unnecessary conflicts. Courts are over whelmed by frivolous litigation whose resolution takes decades.

Countries with colonial past are mired in executive abuse. Files and paperwork are kept in total secrecy leaving decisions to discretion instead of laid down procedures. In the formative years of Pakistan, the founding fathers struggled for reforms but now it is all over. My father a worker of the freedom movement always took it as a serious responsibility to fight back. As he aged when he could not use his physical strength he opted for litigation. After his death when I took over, I inherited about twenty such court cases.

The Britishers were able to steal $45 trillion as there was lack of transparency. Resources were transferred in secrecy. The famous Koh-i-Noor diamond that Queen Elizabeth wears on her crown was kept in a vault at the Lahore Fort. Both Hindustan and Pakistan have laid claims on this jewel as it was taken away from the undivided Indian sub-continent

He had filed an interesting writ in the Lahore High Court against the Excise and Taxation (E&T) department; summons were issued after about sixteen years by this time he had passed over to his heavenly abode. Lucky his lawyer was still around enabling me to understand the case, he advised me to just let it go so I decided to appear before the court without him.

Lack of transparency was the basis of litigation. As he refused to grease the palm of the E&T department, his property tax was over-assessed compared to other houses in the locality. He wrote to the relevant authority to provide the basis on while the tax had been calculated. In reply he was told that it was the discretion of the department, they were not required to divulge the basis to it, so he decided to file the writ petition. As a tribute to his struggle for correction I asked the judge to take away this discretionary power of the department. It was the right of the citizen to know the basis of taxation, the department gave a written undertaking to accept the right of the assessee to know the basis on which he was taxed.

Through transparency major reforms can be initiated. There, is a blatant misuse of official transport by the bureaucracy. A few years back it was decided to monetize this facility. Unfortunately, it increased the drain on the national exchequer; officers now are burning the candle at both ends. In a transparent system on entry of the vehicle number or the name of the officer vehicle allocation could be easily checked. Every morning when I drive to work, I see four cars with green plates packed outside a house in the neighborhood. Despite the high-profile austerity drive the vehicles are still there.

GOR (Government Officer’s Residences) are another left over of the colonial era. These houses were built for the ‘Gora Sahib’ to keep them away from the locals. Billions are spent on the upkeep of these buildings; they represent power and prestige of the rulers. A few years back a friend was appointed advisor to the Chief Minister. Despite his position he was denied official residence. He discussed the issue with me, I advised him to get a complete report of allocations made in the last six months. On his demand he was able to move into one, but the report never came; it was shrouded in mystery.

The Britishers were able to steal $45 trillion as there was lack of transparency. Resources were transferred in secrecy. The famous Koh-i-Noor diamond that Queen Elizabeth wears on her crown was kept in a vault at the Lahore Fort. Both Hindustan and Pakistan have laid claims on this jewel as it was taken away from the undivided Indian sub-continent.

The people of Pakistan are one of the most charitable and the least tax-paying nation mainly because their tax money is mis-spent, mostly in secrecy. The NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) have moved in to deliver where the government has failed. The ‘Babus’ claim that the NGOs have secret agendas while the other party claims gross inefficiency of the state apparatus, Public is made to suffer on both counts due to lack of transparency in both cases. In discussion with the then Education Minister he mentioned that most NGOs fraud. I then presented him with some ground data. On an allocation of Rs. 100/- an NGO at best can squander this much whereas a ‘Babu’ could devour Rs. 150/-, the entire allocation plus Rs.50 in TA/DA with added loss to the public. Both these losses could be avoided through transparency. In unaccountable, mysterious systems the biggest loser is the public. If nothing else at least openness should be introduced to break the cycles that continue to exploit the people of Pakistan even after over seven-decades of independence. Transparency is the way forward; it will prove to be the light at the end of the dark tunnel of mysterious darkness.

The writer is Ex-Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation

Published in Daily Times, January 9^th 2019.