without paying for it and everyone knows how people get away with such crimes thanks to pervasive institutionalised corruption.
‘One swallow does not make a summer’ is hardwired in our collective psyche – individual contribution or corruption does not matter. No one can dispute the fact that individuals, with their determination and strength of character, have changed the course of history.
The point where I dare to differ with Imran Khan, notwithstanding my admiration for his achievements, is his quick-fix approach to solving deep-rooted and complex social problems. He tends to hold the government responsible for every evil in society. Structures are no doubt important in setting the course of action for the future but the role of human agency cannot be eliminated from the equation.
To me ideological revolution precedes social revolution which transforms into a different political system. After all, individuals are running institutions and you cannot import people from outside (though we tried this approach too) to build systems from scratch in line with contemporary demands.
The question, however, is not to underrate government reforms but to emphasise the need to mobilise civil society including scholars, writers, artists, TV anchors, poets, and most importantly parents to guide individuals in the right direction. Modern science undoubtedly had a prominent role in ending the Dark Ages in the west but more credit goes to civil society to bring in the era of enlightenment.
A strong state with a weak society is catastrophic. In the former USSR, the revolutionaries had planned to create a stateless society but they ended up with a society-less state and the natural outcome was implosion and disintegration into pieces.
Pakistan has failed to live up to its ideals because no consensus has ever been evolved on what constituted its essence in the first place. Each new day reminds us of the wrong course we have followed but we tend to believe otherwise. Our attitudes need surgery more than our government structures so that we can make real and lasting progress.
The writer teaches at FAST-NU, Peshawar.
Email: zeb.khannu.edu.pk