Crackdown chimera?

This letter refers to the article ‘Taking on smugglers, speculators and mafias’ (September 13, 2023) by Dr Farrukh Saleem and the article ‘The sky is not the limit’ (September 13, 2023) by Atta-ur-Rahman. The current crackdown on mafias is not something new or unprecedented. Governments in the past have launched similar campaigns as a short-term PR exercise. In this context, the article ‘The sky is not the limit’ hits the nail on the head, saying “There is much for Pakistan to learn from India. The most important lesson is that before planning to invest in agriculture, information technology or other areas, we must first build a nation with integrity as the fundamental cornerstone of our character”.

Unfortunately, our courts are too weak and incompetent to indict a powerful individual accused of smuggling or hoarding. Owing to the early demise of our founding fathers, the country has degenerated morally and intellectually and economic crimes are no longer considered a grave sin. I don’t see the prevalence of these crimes going down significantly during my lifetime as multiple interests are involved in sustaining them.

Arif Majeed

Karachi