Towards Welfare State
Is relief from poverty possible in the absence of social equality? Can eloquently
spoken words on the importance of a welfare state by our chief ministers, put an
end to starvation in Pakistan, where making ends meet and earning an honest living
is no mean feat. The government provides absolutely no safety nets for the beat
up Pakistani citizenry, 30% of which lives below the poverty line. The measures
which are currently taken for education, housing, sustenance, health care, pensions,
unemployment, insurance, public transportation, social amenities and children are
meager and insufficient to meet the demands of a growing population.
What is required is a radical shake up! Achieving perfect bliss might not be possible
for any developed or underdeveloped state but a welfare state making sufficient
contributions to the people’s well being is not that far fectched an idea. We propose
doing so through economic equality and by creating equitable standard of living
for all.
Islamic teachings put the welfare of the citizenry above that of its leaders, 63
years and our leaders still fail to understand the core dogma that the welfare of
each is bound up in the welfare of all. We have a long line of inadequate leaders
who have been more passionate about their bank accounts, their generations and their
popularity then the plight of the common man. The question today is CAN OUR GOVERNMENT
AFFORD A WELFARE SYSTEM? Up till now welfare in Pakistan has been more about egos
of the elite and less about the trials of the masses.
How much more are you willing to take? Insist on change now!
