Serve the people, not the powerful

LAHORE: The need for social politics has never been greater. Pakistan’s survival as a cohesive, democratic and humane society depends on producing leaders who view politics as a means of service, not self-enrichment.

The country’s future will be shaped not by the might of its rulers but by the moral strength of those who rise from among the people to lead them toward justice, equality and hope. In Pakistan, politics has long been dominated by the pursuit of power rather than the pursuit of public welfare. The result is a society burdened by growing inequality, social alienation, and institutional decay. What the country urgently needs is not more ‘power politicians’ -- who treat governance as a zero-sum game -- but ‘social politicians’: men and women driven by the moral imperative to serve the people, especially the deprived.

A social politician is not born from the corridors of power but from the heart of society. Such a person begins by engaging in social work that genuinely touches the lives of the common people -- improving their access to education, health, clean water, and livelihood. It facilitates the people to participate in executing projects that improve their surroundings, their sense of agency and confidence grows. They begin to believe that they can transform the inequitable society they live in into a just one.

Unfortunately, Pakistan’s political system promotes the opposite. It projects to power those who are either populists -- offering short-term promises and slogans -- or those who serve the elite. The result is a leadership disconnected from the real issues of hunger, unemployment and the indignity of poverty. The system recycles personalities, not ideas.

A genuine social politician understands that democracy is not merely about elections but about social and economic justice. A true reformer cannot be content with cosmetic measures such as ‘administrative reform’ or ‘behavioural change’ alone -- because these often serve to reinforce the very injustices they claim to address.

Pakistan must therefore transition from power politics to social politics. The former revolves around control and privilege; the latter around participation and empowerment. Social politics aims to establish both political and economic democracy -- the twin foundations of a just society. Only a democratic order that promotes widespread prosperity, harmony with nature, and advancement of knowledge can bring real peace and happiness to people.

The ruling elite now speaks the language of ‘reform’ and ‘social change’. Yet, in practice, most such initiatives are limited to governance tweaks or image-building campaigns. They seldom attack the root cause of Pakistan’s social decay.

A mixed, welfare-oriented economy that combines efficiency with justice is the way forward. Politics must be repopulated by a new generation of social politicians devoted to serving humanity rather than exploiting it.

When economies are run solely for the benefit of a few, environmental degradation becomes inevitable. Pakistan’s recurring floods, water scarcity, and heatwaves are not acts of fate -- they are nature’s response to our economic greed and ecological neglect. Growth that ignores human welfare and environmental limits is self-destructive.

History shows that growth alone can bring gradual change only when accompanied by education, skill development, and technological progress. Yet in Pakistan, these necessary conditions are stifled by entrenched institutional barriers. The ruling classes resist reforms in administration and taxation that could promote equitable growth because such reforms threaten their privileges.

Instead, the burden of taxation falls disproportionately on the poor through indirect taxes on basic goods and services, while the wealthy continue to evade taxes and enjoy state-granted exemptions. This regressive system deepens inequality, fosters resentment, and erodes trust in the state.

Growth that enriches a few while marginalising many is not development; it is destabilisation. Sustainable prosperity demands a new framework -- one that simultaneously eliminates poverty and narrows wealth disparities.