Failures

The failure of the state to provide quality education led to the creation of an ever-expanding private education sector; the failure to provide quality health services created an opportunity for the private sector to fill in the consequent vacuum; the failure to provide protection forced people to hire private security guards, raise protective barriers and raise private militias.

The failure to provide cheap and speedy justice has led to parallel justice systems a la Darul Qaza Shariat of extremist organisations like JuD. The list of the state’s failures can go on. Alarm bells have been ringing for long but we refuse to wake up. Or has the state’s death knell already wrung?

Dr Azmat Abbas

Lahore