Daily Times

State exists for the purpose of well-being and happiness of its citizens. Hobbes has rightly theorised the basis of state existence, and linked it with protection of life as the sacred good. According to him, people in state of nature entered into a social contract for the protection of their life, which was considered the only objective of the state. Following Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau added other things in the purpose of state existence: namely, protection of life, liberty and property, and to make the environment conducive for human progress, which was not possible in the pre-state period.

Applying these theories on states as they exist today, one can observe how the objectives for which states came into being remain unfulfilled. Have the state of Pakistan been able to provide security of life, liberty and property to its citizens — the primary purpose of a state? Is the environment — political, economic, social, religious and judicial — conducive for human progress and development? Certainly not. On the contrary, Pakistan has been facing the acute form of a crisis
of governance.

In Punjab, cases of child abduction are on rise. According to official reports, more than 700 children went missing in just a week. One can only cry over the fate of these children if the state fails to recover them. Children, once kidnapped, are given a new environment to which they are forced to become adjusted, and over a period of time, they become a part of the new environment. Children are a great attraction for different criminal groups in society. For terrorist organisations, children can be a productive tool for suicide bombings, as they are the easiest to be brainwashed and lured into stories of paradise in the hereafter.

Children are also an investment for the begging industry. According to reports of the ILO, most of the children begging on streets of Pakistan do not beg for themselves. Instead, there are professional groups who use these children as a source of to make money. The methods used for forcing these children to come on streets and beg for them are ranging from sexual abuse to physical torture. Also, children are used in different crimes such as prostitution and human trafficking.

Despite the seriousness of the issue, government of Punjab has failed to make any concrete efforts to ensure the security of children. The state has failed to provide them the protection of a good life. Without having a good life, liberty cannot be protected as freedom and equality depend on the attainment of social, economic and political goods.

In Balochistan, the issue of “missing persons” reminds us of the same governance problem. From 2004 onwards, the list of missing persons has been increasing with no concrete governmental efforts to minimise the agony of the families of those who are missing. For an argument’s sake, even if those missing persons were involved in some criminal/treason/terrorism related activities, doesn’t justice demand a due process of law? Rule of law is the basic component of good governance. The absence of rule of law means the absence of good governance, which implies bad governance. Many years have passed, and families of missing persons are still waiting for their loved ones. On this front too, the state has failed to ensure security of its citizens.

In Sindh, people in Thar are dying due to hunger. Even those who have the availability of food are a victim of malnutrition, which is leading to physical and mental deficiencies among children. The state has failed to ensure food security of people, which is their inalienable right. If the state could not ensure the availability of food for its citizens, what should be the purpose of state existence? For what purpose the people entered into a social contract? Similarly, the security situation in Sindh is not conducive for human progress and development. Although the deployment of Rangers
restored some semblance ofsecurity, yet safety of life is not yet guaranteed.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the situation is no different. It has been more than two years and people are still living as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Do IDPs have protection of life, liberty and property? Children in IDPs camps are not going to school, and their prospects of education have been badly affected. No serious efforts have been made by the state to make arrangements for their return so that normal life could be started. Moreover, there are problems of education and health, which are a contributing factor in attainment of liberty and freedom. Without education and health facilities, one cannot envision human progress and prosperity. Thus, it is true that Pakistan has been engulfed in a serious crisis of governance.

The writer is a political scientist, and can be reached on Twitter @hassanshahjehan