Whither civil society?

This refers to the news report, ‘PM owns Rs1.96 billion property, Imran Rs1.31 billion’ (April 22). The Election Commission of Pakistan’s act of showing politicians’ assets have brought into the limelight a bitter reality – the majority of our leaders are not trustworthy. They lied to the nation on their assets. Not only the sitting PM but the donation-funded leader of Naya-Pakistan is a billionaire as well. Certainly the present ruling setup is not an ideal one. How then to bridge the gap between real and ideal government?

Kant suggests that the governance gap can be filled by the civil society through initiating debates in newspapers, periodicals, journals and other spaces of public debate by intellectuals, academia, and public figures, besides through public-interest litigations. Of course, the civil society accepts education, healthcare and housing as basic rights. There had been a plethora of election petitions. But, why has there not been a single petition to give all people equal share in all fields of the state? Why are there two plots being allotted to government servants in grade-22? Why is this preferential treatment being meted out to some?

Amjed Jaaved

Rawalpindi