Discourse surrounding socio-political affairs in Pakistan has long been centred and ‘plagued’, by the concept of ‘corruption’. Over the years, this has resulted in the incarceration of various political leaders, the untimely dismissal of elected governments and in many cases, provided a cover for what may only be termed as ‘institutional and judicial overreach’. Corruption is, in essence, dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power. However, to assess the impact of this on civic life, we must focus on two forms of corruption which are rampant in Pakistani society, namely, financial corruption and intellectual corruption. This piece argues that intellectual corruption poses an existential threat to the state and is overlooked far-too-often, when assessing the impacts of ‘corruption’ on the daily lives of Pakistani citizens.
The proposition that intellectual corruption is Pakistan’s biggest problem (as opposed to financial corruption) stems from the idea that financial corruption is a symptom of deeper systemic flaws. These flaws may be witnessed by the disintegration of intellectual integrity, and ethical and professional standards. This has been witnessed first-hand when prominent political leaders’ and/or ‘religious scholars’ have time and again distorted facts and prioritised personal gain over truth and the public good. When practices such as this become the norm, a system devoid of meritocracy and plagued by brain drain, begins to take shape.
Impact on Women
In the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic, an influential cleric made a preposterous assertion that the virus had been ‘unleashed on humanity’, due to ‘wrongdoing of women’. He made these claims on a live telecast, in the presence of the incumbent Prime Minister and various journalists’. Yet, in the court of wider public opinion, this cleric is regarded as a ‘scholar’, who is deeply respected and exercises a great deal of influence. Instances such as this lead to a severe dearth of critical thinking, and a population that may struggle to make informed decisions about politics, the economy and socio-political affairs. If ‘populism’, rather than technical-based approaches drives decision-making, it results in poor policy decisions. These policies (over time) exacerbate poverty, inequality, and misgovernance, creating a vicious cycle where corruption, both intellectual and financial, continue to thrive.
Another example was when during Prime Minister Khan’s time in office the role of the female and the female body were exploited and policed by Khan to present the ‘ideal caricature of the Muslim woman’. Although Khan benefitted from this populist appeal, it led numerous women in urban centres, to feel alienated, given they were presented as “the others”. In addition to this, he described Pakistan’s largest feminist movement (Aurat March) as being a manifestation of a culture that is ‘divided’. Despite this, Khan’s popularity amongst women in urban centres continues to soar, even today. This points to a decay in political consciousness in Pakistan’s urban centres’, over the last 15 years, and warrants further academic analysis.
Impact on Civic Life
Societal development at-large is based upon innovation, education, and meritocracy. Intellectual corruption in its very essence discourages academic progress and research, as well as diminishing the space for creative solutions to the problems facing society. In addition to this it breeds and favours social darwinism, cronyism, and incompetence, all of which are prevalent in modern-day Pakistan. This hinders social mobility and economic progress, dealing a blow to the very foundation of civilians’ ability to chart their own destinies. In the midst of this, the vacuum left behind enables financial corruption to thrive, in an unrestrained manner.
Financial corruption, too, is no doubt a cause for concern for policy makers in Pakistan. This is in lieu of the fact that financial corruption itself is a manifestation of intellectually corrupt practices. However, tackling financial corruption by itself will have a minimal impact, especially when intellectual corruption continues to plague the very structures of governance and society. Without a notable decline in Pakistan’s corruption index, private investment and GDP growth will continue to suffer. The efficiency of the public sector stands compromised, with an emphasis on ‘larger schemes’, many of which never reach fruition.
A pervasive culture of bribery and white-collar-crime may incentivise individuals serving in various roles and industries to distort facts and perpetuate information and stances, which are not in line with reality and/or wider public welfare. Furthermore, the domino effect this has over time may lead to rampant misinformation and sway policy in a direction that serves intellectually dishonest practices, as opposed to ethical standards which serve as a prerequisite for inclusivity and intellectual integrity, in society.
Need for Action
Political leaders, members of national institutions and various factions of civil society must come together and foster an environment of complete transparency. This must include, (but not be limited to), the transparency of thought, ideals and ideas. With 62% of the states’ population under the age of 25, a holistic approach must be taken to tackle issues such as ‘corruption’, which pose an existential threat to the federation.
Zeyd Jooma read Politics MA Hons at the University of Edinburgh. He is a former journalist who worked with Dawn. He is currently an analyst who focuses on the evolution of Pakistani politics and governance.