We the people

“We the people” is the enshrining preamble to a constitution that looks for equal treatment of its people and determines the path to democratic rights of its people. Our country, Pakistan, has been mired from day one with various experiments taking place.

With 33 years of the country’s history officially under military rule and remaining being mired by extra-constitutional roles played by the judiciary, bureaucracy and politicians, our society has suffered physically as well as mentally. The suffering is so much we are always waiting for a 'messiah' for the deliverance. Generally, the messiah comes in the form of dictators or self-proclaimed leaders like the current prime minister, only for 'we the people' to get disappointed very soon. So where do the people go back to? The answer is simple: “We the people”.

In the last few years, the high-handedness shown by Imran Khan and his government through NAB, FIA, ANF and other state organs and draconian laws enacted – such as PECA – points to the fact that the breathing space for all strata of society has shrunk to the point where 'we the people' have to stand up. The economic hardships caused by rampant inflation, senseless planning and the self-serving management of resources by the federal government is a cause for the people to stand up. The crisis of power management, food security and the overall system of governance that has tethered to the brink of collapse has caused we the people to move to the street – marching at the call of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

The march that started from Karachi on February 27 has gone through Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Hyderabad, Moro, Nawabshah, Khairpur, Sukkur and now is progressing in Punjab. It will eventually reach Islamabad on the 8th of March. Those who had thought that 'we the people' don’t care any more were sadly mistaken and have now started their political posturing by reducing fuel prices and announcing reduction in electricity prices. They have also announced a third tax amnesty scheme in four years to improve their blundering handling of the economy. That’s the power of the people, which has led Imran Khan to go and meet allies whom he had ignored for years. Where is that Kaptaan who used to say that: “no one can blackmail me”.

What does the PPP want with this march? We want the federal government to distribute what rightfully belongs to the people. We are marching for Haq-Hakmiat (the right to rule). We are marching for Haq-Malkiat (right to ownership). We are marching for Haq-e-Rozgar (the right to employment and livelihood). We are marching for Haq-e-Barabri (the right to equality and dignity). All these rights have been denied to 'we the people' for the last four years. And we cannot stop till we get our economic, democratic and constitutional rights.

The last few years have seen Pakistan being marked with gross inequalities of income, wealth and power. This government seeks to steal – economic prosperity and future from the people, autonomy and resources from the provinces, and resources from the state to use for petty, personal political aims. This government steals what belongs to 'we the people'. This theft must stop. The ownership of the lands of Pakistan, what grows above those lands and what is beneath them, belongs to the people. It belongs to the landless farmers, the women, those discriminated against. The PPP was formed with the ambition of returning ownership to its real heirs: we the people.

This government’s assault on the economic well-being of the people is without precedent. The people of Pakistan have been pushed into ignominious poverty, debt and starvation. In the past three years, this government has doubled the national debt from the previous 70 years. Petrol prices have doubled, electricity and medicine prices have almost tripled. Unemployment has risen drastically. Inflation is at a record level. This is criminal. The government is controlling resources like gas distribution and water is not being given to farmers, leading to both industry and agriculture to suffer, and thereby increasing unemployment.

Instead of listening to the people, this government’s mercenary capitalism for the few at the expense of labour rights and living wages is criminal. The industrial workers and farmers of Pakistan are angry; women and youth are angry – they all feel abandoned. The poor of Pakistan will never be without a voice inside or outside parliament. Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the PPP will always be their voice. The current Awami March is a manifestation of this.

We the people believe in democracy, firmly established on equality of citizenship. Women, religious minorities, the oppressed and the marginalised all need to be guaranteed equal rights and constitutional protections, including the right to quality healthcare, education and employment. The past few years have seen barriers put up between the haves and the have-nots. This government has consistently voiced, amplified and legitimised the voices of intolerance, bigotry, misogyny, classism and divisiveness. The fires of hatred, narrow-mindedness and parochialism need to be extinguished if we are to realise our destiny of a modern, progressive and prosperous country.

These are the reasons for the people to march. And we will not stop till we make the rulers accede to these demands.

The writer is adviser to CM Sindh, and Administrator Karachi.