Litigation subverts,over-litigation subverts heavily

Fair & Square

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. By analogy, I say ‘Litigation subverts and too much litigation subverts heavily’. The social landscape of ours is replete with litigation and unnecessary petitioning even about the trivia of trivia. 

The impression formed in one’s mind is that ours is a land of litigation and controversies where even a dream is given the shape of a petition to throw the society in a dark, deep abyss of confusion and strife (not only bad, but good dreams are also petitioned).

Of course, this is giving birth to a very sad state of affairs that is virtually leading to further fragmentation of society which is akin to social polarization.  Inside the country, we are facing a situation where such things do not form a part of the solution rather a part of the problem whereas, outside the country, we can be faced with suspension of valuable foreign investment besides earning a bad name and bad repute of a ‘Jhugrraaloo’ (quarrelsome) and unstable nation submerged in legal scuffles arising out of personal egos and whims in sheer disregard for the consequences that the country may have to bear.  The same ill fate came in the way of Pakistan’s and Punjab’s Orange Line Train Project of Lahore that has undergone inordinate delay due to litigationfor the sake of litigation. I think Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif is right in calling the petitioner class a group of ‘Ashrafia’ (the elite group) which has no concern for the comforts and discomforts of the ordinary, poor people who would be travelling honorably and comfortably in the train, covering 27 kilometres across the length and breadth of the provincial metropolis by paying a reasonable, affordable fair. 

Anyone who is depriving the common man from making use of this gift from our time-tested friend, China, is doing no service to humanity or the country or to the poor classes of people. And the petitioner lobby also does not appear to be so much heritage-or-environment friendly except that they have a passion for playing the spoilsport through excessive petitioning. 

I wonder why they are ignorant of the metro trains running in more than a dozen countries of the world including our neighbouring country, India, where even their most sacred sites, Rojgareshwar Mahadev and Khasthharan Mahadev temples in Jaipur were demolished besides the shifting of 13 temples for the sake of building the metro train track. Even the higher judiciary, their High Court, passed the verdict in the favour of common man – and his welfare and comfort that is easily available on payment of an affordable fair (although, except for six Hindu priests, many other priests did not give their consent).

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the metro train track runs just besides (perhaps one or two feet away) the famous Jamek Mosque and so forth and so on. 

Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and his agile lieutenant who handles and ‘steers’ the Orange Line Train Project, namely Khawaja Hassaan (he is head of the Train’s ‘Steering’ Committee) say they have high hopes that Pakistan’s apex court would soon end all the confusion and remove bottlenecks coming in the way of this mega welfare project).  In my opinion, it will become a mega welfare project if the backward localities in the vicinity of Orange Train stations are also upgraded. These localities are ‘infested’ with broken roads, overflowing sewers and dirt and dung (as these are no less than diseases, the word ‘infest’ is quite relevant here).

And there is a question asked by the common man in this context, that about the subsidy. The CM has asked the media to study this matter and tell the people that in most parts of the world, the important national utilities like the transport system are subsidized heavily by the governments (some people say that in India, the railways are subsidized to the tune of 500 plus million). The CM has rather posed a question to the media seniors whether they are aware of this ‘transport subsidy’ being given in foreign countries. 

Questions of this type raise two more questions, relevant to unwanted, excessive litigation and they are: What will the Chinese friends be thinking about our system that is an embodiment of stagnation and inaction, courtesy these ugly things. And my guess is that the Turk friends might also be asking a similar question revolving around the ill-treatment of Karke ship power plant. 

….mianrehman1@gmail.com