News Right Now: Fundamental Faults 

Welcome to the episode ‘Fundamental Faults’

Last week the now outgoing Prime Minister Imran Khan, was facing a unified and growing opposition in Parliament. The lack of confidence in him quickly spiraled into a week of events many of his supporters could not have expected. His opponents had garnered 172 of the votes needed to oust him in the 342 seat house, after several members of his own party and a key coalition partner defected. Khan insisted this was all part of a US led regime change conspiracy and accused the opposition parties of working with Western powers. So in the hope of maintaining his seat, Khan responded to his critics by dissolving parliament last Sunday and set the stage for early elections.

However the opposition parties quickly claimed that this violated the constitution, and took their case to the country’s Supreme Court. After four days of hearings, on Thursday 7th April the Supreme Court decision was to rule against PM Imran Khan’s move to dissolve parliament, going as far as to call it illegal, and it ordered the house be restored. The court declared that “all actions initiated, for purposes of holding a general election to elect a new assembly, including but not limited to the appointment of a caretaker prime minister and cabinet, are of no legal effect and are hereby quashed”. This left Khan to face the no-confidence vote by lawmakers that he had tried to sidestep - which convened on Saturday 9th April with the landmark decision shortly after midnight that he be removed as Prime Minister - making Imran Khan the first PM of the country to be removed by a no-trust vote!

Khan had genuine support in 2018 when he emerged as a fresh force, with vibrant rallies full of catchy songs which, along with his huge social media presence, amplified his staunch anti-corruption message. Imran Khan promised to bring "change" to the country, creating a "new Pakistan" on a”Madinan model”! However, the cost of living in Pakistan has been skyrocketing, with sharp rises in food prices and the rupee falling against the dollar.

The recent wheat crisis which saw basic commodities quadruple in price overnight, due to levy’s on exports being lifted and money being stashed by certain figures in parliament, undoubtedly caused great frustration and doubts about Khan’s capability to root out corruption. As well as this, growing resentment with Khan was seen in his inability to reconcile the deep rift between ISI officials Gen Bajwa and Lt Gen Faiz Hameed - who is most likely the incoming army chief, and incidentally known to be the one who ‘selected’ Imran Khan to office in the first place.

Despite tensions between the two powerful men, it was widely reported that Khan had disingenuously wanted Lt Gen Faiz Hameed to stay in his position until the next general election, and once again help ensure Khan's victory. This clearly contextualizes the claims from PPP defectors to the BBC that parliamentarians used to receive "calls" from the intelligence services, directing them on what to do. Foreign policy differences emerged between Khan and the army too, which made his downfall inevitable.

However despite Khan’s lamentations that his ousting is part of a US backed conspiracy - many of his own actions have been clearly inline with US interests in the region. Khan facilitated the peace process in Afghanistan and didn’t use any of Pakistan’s political leverage with China against the Indian advancement in Kashmir. Nor did Khan even acknowledge the plight of the Uighur Muslims at the hands of the Chinese government. Instead he praised religious tolerance in China.

Likewise, rather than wholeheartedly supporting the only real men who defend Kashmir and its desperate population, as any real Muslim leader would - Khan willingly signed up to international treaties (against the views of his own party members), which criminalise Mujahideen groups - thus making them targets for Indian and international agencies, and so greatly hindering their efforts of Jihad fi’sabillillah within Azad Kashmir. The domestic situation Pakistan faces today is almost no different to the crushing policies that saw inflation rise in previous years - resulting in tens of thousands of people becoming more and more impoverished and with ever fewer employment prospects.

Khan's promises of economic relief failed because he did not break the shackles of the global capitalist order, comprising of IMF dictates, the dollar based currency, the privatization of public assets, FATF, indirect taxes and interest payments. The back-breaking surges in the price of electricity, gas, sugar, oil, fertilizer, cement, pulses, vegetables and meat are the cause of Pakistan’s own unjust export policies, which harm the people by effectively making them pay the high international price for their basic necessities.

This is the typical Capitalist model that Khan and every previous government have wholeheartedly subscribed to, and this is why there is absolutely no difference in the outcome of any of these leaders’ actions - despite their rhetoric, or even sincere intentions to make change. Likewise by subscribing to international global institution’s, like the UN and IMF, Pakistan’s foreign policy can never be truly independent.

Capitalism is the standard measure for which treaties, articles and agreements are made - and diplomacy is based wholly upon standardized values which uphold the Capitalist ideology, ensuring that the existing world order is never under threat. Anyone who understands Capitalism will know that a change of face or an exuberant personality is meaningless against the democratic processes which give clout to systemic structures designed to uphold the system at any cost.

The reality of the present day global stage, is that it is designed to maintain a way of life which first and foremost benefits the west, and within the west it means to grant most benefit to the elite and thereafter the wealthy. In recognition of this truth, few global citizens seriously believe that democracy is worth pursuing - so why then do the leaders of Pakistan?! Radical change can only occur through a complete overhaul of the system, and Islam is the only alternative ideology capable of creating this lasting change. This is because Islam will eradicate the concept of the concentration of wealth being in the hands of the few.

Islam will eliminate the problem of buying energy and other resources at international prices, by unifying energy rich Muslim countries as one state. The Khilafah does not impose any indirect taxation that the poor and indebted must pay. The Khilafah can end the dollar hegemony over international transactions, because the majority of the world’s energy resources are within the Muslim World, so the Khilafah can bury the petrodollar ideology for good. The Khilafah will provide cheap energy to the people because neither the government nor private companies can own it, as Islam stipulates that it is public property. Instead of temporary relief, the Khilafah will reject interest payments, which currently extend to trillions of rupees, spending on the needs of the people instead.

Likewise the Khilafah will uproot the oppressive idea of the political class, still so entrenched within Muslims countries. Islam views leadership as a great responsibility and burden, not to be taken lightly. The level of transparency and accountability that Islam demands of rulers is an Aqeeda issue that they must adhere to.

The individual qualities of leaders, whereby justice, integrity and righteousness are essential elements - allow no room for cronyism, nepotism or that an elite ruling class privileged above the people can exist. Our beloved prophet saws and the companions demonstrated this beyond doubt in the Islamic model of ruling they implemented, and which we seek to re establish inshaAllah. It is this way that the Khilafah will uproot the corrupt political class and system simultaneously.

(هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ )

“He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the True Religion that He may make it prevail over all religions, howsoever those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity might detest it.” [TMQ Surah At-Tauba 9:33].

Ummah Voice Podcast
SoundCloud Link: Click Here